MINNEAPOLIS — Max Brosmer powered into the end zone for Minnesota on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line with 56 seconds left, breaking a tie with his third rushing touchdown of the game to fuel a 24-17 upset of 11th-ranked USC on Saturday night.
Brosmer, who went 15-for-19 passing for 169 yards, buried himself in a crowd of blockers and found enough of a crease to cross the goal line. The ruling on the field had Brosmer short, but the replay review resulted in a reversal the entire stadium knew was coming.
With the Trojans (3-2, 1-2 Big Ten) out of timeouts, Miller Moss moved them into striking range before his heave from the 28 into double coverage was picked off by Koi Perich in the end zone for his second interception of the game.
Darius Taylor had 200 yards from scrimmage for the Gophers (3-3, 1-2), including 144 yards on 25 rushes to lead a two-touchdown rally in the fourth quarter.
With USC leading 17-10, Moss was pressured off the edge by Jah Joyner and grabbed by Devin Williams with 10:11 left when his follow-through was disrupted and the ball floated forward.
Minnesota went 65 yards in six plays for Brosmer’s second rushing touchdown, a keeper off tackle that tied the game with 7:08 to go. The defense forced a three-and-out, setting up the Gophers for the game-sealing drive.
Moss, who topped the 300-yard mark twice in the first four games, went 23-for-38 for 200 yards and one touchdown against a Minnesota team that entered the week leading the FBS in pass defense.
Woody Marks had 20 carries for 134 yards and a touchdown for USC.
Taylor lost a fumble at midfield when Kamari Ramsey jarred the ball into the air with 27 seconds left before halftime. The Trojans had just enough time for the tying 54-yard field goal by Michael Lantz, who began his career at in 2019 Minnesota before a back injury temporarily halted it in 2021. He resurfaced at Georgia Southern and transferred to USC.
USC started sluggishly on offense for the third straight week. The Trojans trailed Michigan 14-3 at halftime of a 27-24 loss and fell behind Wisconsin 21-10 at the break before rallying for a 38-21 win.
Lantz missed a 47-yard field-goal attempt at the end of the first drive right after Zachariah Branch dropped what would’ve been a first-down catch at the 22. Late in the second quarter, Quinten Joyner lost a fumble at the Minnesota 38 when Perich dislodged the ball.
Part of the problem for the Trojans, though, was simply a Gophers defense that has been consistently tough to throw against this season and had a well-planned and well-executed mix of rush and coverage to keep Moss and his receivers from doing much damage.
Duce Robinson’s 3-yard touchdown catch with 7:13 left before halftime put USC on the board, just the second passing score against Minnesota this season.
Just like home?
Minnesota welcomed USC with a kickoff temperature of 71 degrees, the warmest October game for the Gophers in 16 seasons. This was a night game, too, topping the afternoon start against Rutgers (66 degrees) on Oct. 29, 2022, that was the previous high for the month.
The takeaway
USC: Awareness and discipline likely will be on the to-do list for coach Lincoln Riley and his staff this week. The Trojans took eight penalties for 59 yards, including an unnecessary-roughness call on Easton Mascarenas-Arnold for body slamming Perich during a punt return in the fourth quarter that jump-started Minnesota’s winning drive with an extra 15 yards.
Minnesota: Coach P.J. Fleck ended his postgame news conference two weeks ago after a dispiriting loss to rival Iowa after a second-half collapse by imploring fans not to give up on this team. The Gophers nearly rallied to beat Michigan last week with a 21-point fourth quarter, only to have an onside kick recovery with 1:37 left negated by a dubious offside penalty in a 27-24 loss.
Up next
USC: Hosts Penn State on Saturday.
Minnesota: Plays at UCLA on Saturday night.
