Could 100 USC students beat a gorilla in a fight? A ridiculous question, maybe. But at Annenberg Radio, we decided to take it seriously.
We asked Trojans across campus what they thought. And some weren’t so optimistic.
First, we heard from Matt Mazza, a sophomore majoring in health and human sciences.
“I firmly believe that 100 USC students cannot beat a gorilla in a fight,” Mazza said. “I think USC students would be too scared to even approach it”
Then came India Vielehr, a sophomore studying astronautical engineering.
“Have you seen the shape these kids are in?” Vielehr said. “I just don’t think that would happen.”
And Sebastian Seidenberg, a sophomore communications major, didn’t hold back either.
“No. It’s a gorilla. It’s big, it’s kind of scary,” Seidenberg said. “And it’d probably hurt you.”
Others had more… creative strategies. Joaquin Williams is a freshman business major, with a game plan.
“Yes, 100 USC students could beat the gorilla, all of them just have to jump it,” Williams said. “The first thirty are gonna die obviously, but they have to take that sacrifice for the team.”
Grey Duckett, a freshman on the pre-law track, thinks winning the fight requires more of a group effort.
“I think it would be sort of an avalanche,” Duckett said. “All attack the gorilla and then whoever is the fittest survives.”
And then there were the die-hard Trojans, the ones who believe in the “fight on” spirit with everything in their hearts.
Sedonee Carranza is a sophomore business major and she’s confident in both USC’s muscle and brain.
“Combined with our strength and intelligence, USC students on average could beat a gorilla,” Carranza said.
Ollie Hobin, a sophomore engineering major, was more straightforward.
“One hundred percent,” Hobin said. “We are the Trojans and we are the best.”
But if you’re still on the fence…sophomore Justin Koepke, a history major, may convince you otherwise. I interviewed him outside SEEDs Cafe. But he didn’t just speak. He stood on a table, grabbed the mic from my hand and turned SEEDs into his own stage.
“If you ask me if 100 human beings can beat a gorilla in a fight… no,“ Koepke said. ”The first guy runs up, gets scared, the gorilla grabs his head, rips it off, grabs another guy’s leg, gone. Everyone’s crying, running."
He continued.
But if you ask me if 100 USC students can beat a gorilla? That gorilla does not stand a single chance.“ Koepke said. ”We will charge that gorilla. The first man? Sacrifices himself. Maybe the second. Maybe the third, but we fight on through the pain, through the struggle, through the loss of limbs.“
He had more to say.
“I have not a single doubt in my soul that that gorilla will be done for,” Koepke said.
This is where people turned their heads, pulled out their phones, and traded their laughs for awe.
“Other schools? Let me think for a second… uh no," Koepke said. “This is the only school that can take on that gorilla.”
Koepke attributes this winning mentality to the school’s values.
“Why? It’s our fighting spirit. It’s right in our motto: We fight on,” Koepke said. “We fight in football, we fight in basketball, we fight in academics. And yes, we fight gorillas. Any other school? Too scared. But this school? The strongest.”
So…could 100 USC students beat a gorilla? We may never know, but after watching Koepke rally a crowd on a Tuesday afternoon outside of SEED, I wouldn’t bet against us.