UCLA Football: SDSU's Stadium Structure Poses Challenge for The Bruins

The challenge could go beyond the football field for the Bruins

Your UCLA Bruins are primed and ready to roll for their second matchup of the season against the San Diego State Aztecs. They will travel down the 5 South for their matchups, which should be a sold-out game between the two SoCal schools. 

The Bruins will try to redeem themselves, as the last time they faced the Aztecs, things didn't go as planned, suffering a home loss in 2019, 23-14. This time, the Bruins are a much better football team and will put that on display tomorrow afternoon. However, beyond the challenges SDSU presents on the field, the Bruins will face several challenges outside of the white lines. 

Snapdragon Stadium, home of the Aztecs,  has faced backlash and criticism due to a lack of shade that has left some fans screeching hot. 

Head coach Chip Kelly and his team are taking all the precautions to make sure they can stay as cool as possible on the sideline. 

“We study what’s the latitude and longitude of the stadium,” Kelly said. “Is it a north-south stadium? Is it east-west? How the sun sets — we’re kicking off at 4:30 [p.m.]. What time does the sun go down? Where will the sun be? Tracking some of those things so we’re conscious of what the stadium’s like.”

(via LA Times)

The stadium's debut in 2022 was not a great one, as many fans were treated for suffering from heat-related illnesses. The stadium structure was described as an 'open-faced sandwich' by one fan as every inch of that stadium is exposed to direct sunlight. Luckily for the Bruins, the game is a little later at 4:30 PM PT, and it won't be as hot down in San Diego as it will be 81 degrees by kick-off. 

Adversity may hit the Bruins in their second game of the season; hopefully, it's not from anything outside the game.