Joey McGuire on USC attendance vs. Texas Tech's sold-out Lubbock crowd: "60,000... no matter what the weather is like"

Joey McGuire didn't have to swing hard to land his point.

At his Monday press conference, the Texas Tech head coach was asked about the atmosphere waiting on his team for Saturday's home opener against Abilene Christian, and he worked in a nod at USC's rough Week Zero turnout that had plenty of folks talking over the weekend, and prompted USC to release a short statement on the dismal attendance.

"Not to take any shots, because I have a lot of respect for USC and Lincoln Riley, but it's really awesome to be playing in Lubbock, Texas, knowing we're going to be playing in front of 60,000," McGuire said.

Then he kept going. "We got some really tough people in West Texas that love their football and they're going to show up, no matter what the weather's like."

The weather crack is aimed squarely at what happened in Los Angeles last weekend during Week Zero's action. USC opened against San Jose State and announced a crowd of 51,144 at the Coliseum, the program's smallest home number since 2018 and the lowest of Lincoln Riley's tenure. 

The noon kickoff hit in brutal heat, 94 degrees with a feels-like closer to 104, and the broadcast caught no shortage of long stretches of empty aluminum. ESPN's Paul Finebaum said the announced 51,000 "looked like about 25,000," and his number may be more accurate.

McGuire is coaching from a good spot to make that kind of statement ahead of their opener. Texas Tech went 12-2 a year ago and won the first Big 12 title in program history, running BYU 34-7 in the championship game before reaching the College Football Playoff. The season ended cold, a 23-0 loss to Oregon in the Orange Bowl quarterfinal, but the Red Raiders carried preseason top-15 buzz into this year, ranked No. 12, after one of the more aggressive portal off seasons in the sport. 

There's a coaching angle underneath the not-so-subtle jab, too. Gameday atmosphere is a recruiting tool and a program-health signal, and coaches sell it on visits every week. A packed house in the season's first home game is a data point McGuire can point recruits to. An empty Coliseum on a national broadcast has the opposite effect, as showcased by USC's push to put out a statement after the game.

Riley and USC will probably get their crowds back when the schedule turns and the weather breaks. Noon starts in August heat are a tough sell anywhere, and the Coliseum has emptied out before under coaches before Riley, and surely will after his tenure comes to an end as well. Weather reports also indicate some record heat in the south this weekend, so we will see how other crowds show out in similar conditions.

For now, McGuire got the last word, and while he found a polite and respectful way to say it while complimenting Red Raider nation, there was certainly a shot tucked in behind it. 

Abilene Christian lost to Lamar in their opener 21-14 last weekend, and McGuire and Texas Tech will kick off their season Saturday in Lubbock. 

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