Kickers Are Resigned to the Coliseum’s Quirks

While USC was happy to play before a hometown crowd, the kickers knew that coming back to the Coliseum, with its peristyle, would mean dealing with unusual conditions.

“The field is fairly lumpy,” David Newbury said after making his game-winning attempt. “Sometimes you’ll drag your foot on the ground.”

That’s not all.

“The open [peristyle] end causes the wind to swirl,” David Bell said. “We come in sometimes and the flags on the goal posts will be blowing in opposite directions.”

Bell, who handles kickoffs and sent every kick into the end zone, said he and Newbury and punter Mike MacGillivray have resigned themselves to he stadium’s peculiarities. He recalls a game in 1997 when Washington State came to Los Angeles.

Before the game, as both teams warmed up, the Cougar kicker walked over to the USC end.

“He was like, ‘How do you guys read the wind in here?’ ”

The answer?

“It’s kind of tricky.”

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Trojan receiver Keary Colbert had seen the Coliseum plenty of times--but always on television or from the stands.

The stadium looked a little different to him when he first stood at midfield, his feet planted on the painted USC emblem.

“It was weird,” the freshman said. “Everything is a lot brighter and it looks so big.”

The former Hueneme High player found himself thinking about the history of the place, but wasn’t so awe-struck that he couldn’t make a 26-yard reception early in the game, then two clutch catches on the final drive.

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The game represented a homecoming for 27 Colorado players who grew up in Southern California, including all-conference linebacker Jashon Sykes, leading receiver Javon Green, and defensive end Anwawn Jones.

Sykes went to Serra High with USC cornerback Kris Richard and Green attended Inglewood with Trojan receiver Sandy Fletcher.

USC cornerback Chris Cash, who originally signed with Colorado, played alongside Buffalo free safety Robbie Robinson at Palomar Junior College.