Trojan Fight Song May Have Inspired Battle With the Band

A Pacific 10 Conference investigation into Saturday’s pregame melee between USC and Oregon players has turned up a third possible participant: The Trojan marching band.

“We’re looking into it,” Commissioner Thomas Hansen said. “They may have been a problem.”

The musicians have not been accused of throwing any punches. If anything, they are guilty of doing what they always do, playing the USC fight song over and over.

About an hour before kickoff, the band took position beside the south end zone at Autzen Stadium to perform for Trojan fans seated in the stands above. In that same cramped area, the Oregon team was warming up and USC players were emerging from a tunnel that led from the locker rooms.

At some point, the musicians began to hear abuse.

“It’s not surprising for the other team’s fans to get mad at us,” said Isaac Flores, the band’s director of administration. “But this was the first time in a long time that an opposing team has come over and jawed with our guys.”

Several Oregon players paused from their warmups to shout angry comments, Flores said. The situation grew worse when the band turned toward the field to play for the Trojan team all the way at the opposite end zone.

A couple of Oregon quarterback Joey Harrington’s passes soon sailed into the band. “Nothing that hit anyone hard,” Flores said. Harrington would later smile and say, well, maybe he overthrew a couple of receivers.

The fight broke out a few minutes later as several USC players jogged from the tunnel and headed toward their teammates.

“They had a choice of going through their band or through our players,” Oregon Athletic Director Bill Moos said. “They chose to go through our players.”

Words were exchanged and fists flew. Band officials insist there was room for Trojan players to squeeze between them and the opponents. But they aren’t entirely surprised to hear that they have been identified as part of the problem.

“People hate the fight song,” Flores said.