No. 11 USC loses the 2nd Big Ten road game, falling to Minnesota 24-17

USC faced unwelcome hosts in its first two road games as a member of the Big Ten. The No. 11 Trojans fell to Minnesota 24-17 on Saturday in Minneapolis.

Quarterback Max Brosmer forced his way into the end zone on 4th-and-goal inside the 1-yard line and scored the winning touchdown with 56 seconds left. Initially, the officials ruled that Brosmer did not cross the goal line. However, after reviewing the replays, the call was overturned.

The replay that gave Minnesota the touchdown justified head coach PJ Fleck’s potentially controversial decision to forgo a go-ahead field goal.

“It wasn’t very difficult,” Fleck said of his decision in the fourth round after the game. “Put it in the players’ hands and usually you’ll never be disappointed.”

The touchdown looked even smarter as USC went 47 yards in 39 seconds. But Miller Moss was intercepted by Koi Perich in the end zone with 17 seconds left to secure the Golden Gophers’ victory. Perich, a freshman safety, had two interceptions during the game.

Darius Taylor led Minnesota with 138 yards rushing on 22 carries and added 56 yards receiving on five receptions. Because Taylor was so effective, all Brosmer had to do was be efficient, completing 15 of 19 passes for 169 yards. But 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 a touchdown on 20 carries. Moss completed 23 of 38 passes for 200 yards with one score and two interceptions. Kyron Hudson caught five passes for 54 yards.

Coach Lincoln Riley could circle around his team’s eight penalties, which cost them 59 yards, as a reason for the loss and a continued display of undisciplined play.

The Trojans fall to 3-2 this season, losing road games at Michigan and Minnesota and defeating Wisconsin in the conference.

Minnesota picks up its first Big Ten win of the season after consecutive losses to Iowa and Michigan. Their record is now 3-3, although two of those losses were by three points or less. 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 the Big Ten Network. “Our team is determined; we’ve been through so much. We are resilient. I couldn’t be prouder of her.”

Next up for USC is a home game against No. 7 Penn State (5-0). Minnesota travels to UCLA (1-4).