Start of USC-Cal Game Delayed By Protestors On The Field

The start of Saturday's game between the USC Trojans and California Golden Bears was delayed several minutes by protestors on the field.

Kickoff was scheduled for 4pm Eastern time, but the Pac-12 Network broadcast started with an aerial view showing 12-15 students sitting with locked arms at midfield.

Initially it was unclear what the students were protesting, but several viewers identified "Justice for Ivonne" tshirts. Ivonne del Valle is a professor at Cal Berkeley who teaches Spanish and Portuguese, who was recently suspended based on some concerning behavior.

Unsurprisingly, Cal students want del Valle reinstated, with one telling local news outlet KQED that she's an expert in "colonial studies."

“Professor del Valle isn’t just any faculty member, she’s the top expert in colonial studies,” said Emily Chamale last month at a protest. “The question that haunts me is: If someone as respected as her is going through such things at Berkeley, what might the future be for the rest of us?”

“We want Ivonne back,” said Christián González Reyes, a Ph.D. student studying comparative literature. “We’re not going to be silent anymore.”

It's unclear which students were on the field, but several were reportedly handcuffed by police after dispersing.

del Valle was accused of stalking against another professor at Cal, and admitted to some concerning behavior: “I did write outside his door, ‘Here lives a pervert.’ I did that. And again, I’m not proud,” del Valle said in an interview with KQED. “If I had the opportunity to do things differently, I would do them differently.”

Oct 28, 2023; Berkeley, California, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley walks on the field before a game against the California Golden Bears at California Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

USC Looks To Rebound After Disastrous Past Two Weeks

USC's back-to-back losses to Notre Dame and Utah have put an unceremonious end to the Trojans' playoff hopes. But a Pac-12 Conference title is still theoretically possible, despite the unlikelihood of beating both Oregon and Washington.

The Trojans entered Saturday as significant favorites over the Bears, and jumped out to an early lead, before giving up two long touchdown runs to Cal running back Jaydn Ott.

Not too surprising considering the USC defensive coordinator seemingly doesn't watch film.

READ: USC DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR ACCIDENTALLY REVEALS HE DOESN’T WATCH FILM