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 4th-and-goal inside the 1-yard line for the winning touchdown. 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. 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.
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 21-of-31 passes for 168 yards with a score and two interceptions. Kyron Hudson caught five passes for 54 yards.
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. Their 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.
