Upon arrival in Eugene this afternoon, the Trojans will conduct a brief, lighthearted walk-thru at Autzen Stadium, where they'll throw the ball around, play some mindless games and walk around, all in an effort to get a good feel for the venue they'll play in on game day.
In light of that, RipsIt reader Jeff Collins sent in this interesting question: "Do the visiting teams get to do a walk-thru at the Coliseum the day before the game like SC does when they are on the road? Also, does SC ever do a walk through at the Coliseum before a home game?"
Most visiting teams conduct a walk-thru at the Coliseum, said John Henderson, USC's assistant athletic director of game management and the man in charge of coordinating the walk-thrus. The on-field sessions, which Henderson describes as "real light," usually consist of some special teams work and basic drills, somewhat similar to what the Trojans do while on the road. Occasionally, the teams are limited to where they can be on the field because workers are putting the finishing paint touches on the end zone and midfield logos, Henderson said.
Some teams, like Oregon State last weekend, decline a walk-thru at the Coliseum because of the challenges of navigating L.A. traffic on a Friday afternoon, Henderson said. To save time, some programs will fly in and head straight to their L.A.-area hotel (some visiting squads stay near the airport, some stay downtown and some stay in Pasadena).
And in terms of the Trojans conducting a walk-thru at the Coliseum, it would be an unnecessary addition to an already eventful Friday schedule. Walk-thrus only serve the purpose of acclimating a team to the foreign environment, and since the Trojans play six games and have several scrimmages and practices per year at the Coliseum, it would be an unwise use of an hour on the day before a game.
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