USC has encountered unwelcoming hosts in its first two road games as a member of the Big Ten. The No. 11 Trojans fell to Minnesota in Minneapolis, 24-17, on Saturday.
Quarterback Max Brosmer pushed into the end zone on fourth-and-goal inside the 1-yard line for the winning touchdown with 56 seconds remaining. Initially, officials ruled that Brosmer did not cross the goal line. But after reviewing replays, the call was overturned.
Replay giving Minnesota the touchdown justified what could have been a controversial decision by head coach P.J. Fleck to pass up a go-ahead field goal.
“It wasn’t very hard,” Fleck said of his fourth-down decision after the game. “Put it in the hands of the players and usually you’re never disappointed.”
Going for the touchdown looked even smarter when USC drove 47 yards in 39 seconds. But Miller Moss was intercepted by Koi Perich in the end zone with 17 seconds remaining to clinch the Golden Gophers’ win. Perich, a freshman safety, had two interceptions in the game.
Darius Taylor led Minnesota with 138 yards rushing on 22 carries, adding 56 yards receiving on five receptions. With Taylor so effective, Brosmer only had to be efficient, completing 15-of-19 passes for 169 yards. Yet on the ground, he scored Minnesota’s three touchdowns among his seven carries for 14 yards.
USC also had a strong running game, led by Woody Marks‘ 134 yards and one touchdown on 20 carries. Moss completed 23-of-38 passes for 200 yards with a score and two interceptions. Kyron Hudson caught five passes for 54 yards.
Coach Lincoln Riley might circle his team’s eight penalties costing them 59 yards as a reason for the loss after another demonstration of undisciplined play.
The Trojans drop to 3-2 for the season, losing road games at Michigan and Minnesota while defeating Wisconsin in the conference.
Minnesota gets its first Big Ten win of the season following consecutive losses to Iowa and Michigan. Its record is now 3-3, though two of those losses were by three or fewer points. Gophers fans stormed the field after the biggest win of Fleck’s eight seasons in Minneapolis.
“I told you we were the best 2-3 team in the country,” Fleck said on Big Ten Network. “Our team is resolved; we’ve been through so much. We’re resilient. I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
Up next for USC is a home game versus No. 7 Penn State (5-0). Minnesota travels to UCLA (1-4).