Hawaii running back Will Gregory knows the dirt on Southern California football.

Gregory was raised 20 minutes away from the Los Angeles Coliseum, where his grandfather worked as a groundskeeper.

Gregory was allowed to visit the Coliseum several times, including during photo shoots with USC players.

The family home was filled with USC helmets, visors and gloves.

"We had a lot of SC stuff," Gregory recalled.

Gregory wanted to emulate former Trojans running back Reggie Bush.

"Everybody wants to go to SC," Gregory said. "I wanted to go there when I was little. But things change. I’m a Warrior now. I’m happy to be a Warrior."

Gregory will return to his field of childhood dreams when the Warriors play the top-ranked Trojans in a nationally televised game on Saturday afternoon.

He said family and former high school teammates, coaches and teachers will be among the 93,000 in attendance.

"I never played there," Gregory said. "It’s going to be exciting."

UH weakside linebacker George Daily-Lyles was wooed briefly by USC when he was a Long Beach Poly senior.

"That didn’t work out," Daily-Lyles said. "Thank God I’m here."

Daily-Lyles’ first UH start was against the Trojans at Aloha Stadium in 2010. He struggled and was lifted after a couple of series.

"It was an eye-opening experience," Daily-Lyles said. "I’m happy that it happened. The whole football thing got to me. It was the first start against a national powerhouse. I guess I wasn’t mentally ready."

Daily-Lyles moved from the middle, where he played his first two seasons, to the weak side this past spring. He is now one of the team leaders, evidenced by his selection to the Warriors’ leadership council.

When he was younger, Daily-Lyles said, "we used to try to break (into the Coliseum) and get onto the field. It was always locked up, like a prison. (The Coliseum) had me in awe when I was little. Now it’s another venue, another place to play football."

UH quarterback Sean Schroeder said the first NCAA game he attended was between USC and Notre Dame in the Coliseum.

"I remember the grass being really green and everything being pristine," Schroeder said. "It’s a great venue. For some of us (raised in Southern California), it holds a special place in our hearts."

UH head coach Norm Chow coached at USC for four seasons. Two of his sons are USC graduates. He said he implored his players raised in the Los Angeles area to remain focused.

"I’m sure that’s going to be a problem," Chow said. "We have to get to playing and not who we’re playing. It’s faceless names."