Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck faced an important choice during a tense fourth-and-goal moment with the game tied late, but he felt there was no real decision to make. “How often do you have an inch to go beat USC?” Fleck said.
Max Brosmer pushed through for a touchdown from the 1-yard line with just 56 seconds remaining, marking his third rushing touchdown of the night and leading Minnesota to a 24-17 victory over 11th-ranked Southern California on Saturday.
Brosmer completed 15 of 19 passes for 169 yards. He squeezed through a crowd of blockers to reach the end zone. Although officials initially ruled him short, a replay review confirmed the touchdown, which fans had anticipated.
“It was just the best way to finish,” Brosmer said. “To have all your boys around you at that moment when you’re literally face to face and you’re screaming at each other, ‘Yeah! Let’s go!’ when no one else can see it, it’s pretty cool.”
With the Trojans (3-2, 1-2 Big Ten) out of timeouts, Miller Moss quickly moved them down the field. However, his pass to Duce Robinson from the 28-yard line was intercepted by Koi Perich in the end zone.
“I knew he was throwing to the 6-6 guy,” Perich said. “That guy’s huge. Just go up and make a play, and I made it this time.”
Darius Taylor contributed 200 yards from scrimmage for Minnesota (3-3, 1-2), including 144 yards on 25 carries, leading the comeback that ended with fans rushing the field to celebrate the Gophers’ first win against the Trojans since 1955. USC leads the series 6-2-1.
With USC ahead 17-10, Moss was pressured by Jah Joyner with 10:11 left, causing him to throw a floating pass that was intercepted by Devin Williams.
Minnesota went 65 yards in six plays for Brosmer’s second rushing touchdown, a run to the side that tied the game with 7:08 left. After forcing USC to go three-and-out, the Gophers began their game-winning drive.
Moss, who had thrown for over 300 yards in two of the first four games, completed 23 of 38 passes for 200 yards and one touchdown against a Minnesota team that was leading the FBS in pass defense this week.
“Stuff was there offensively,” Moss said. “I felt like we were running the ball well.”
Woody Marks carried the ball 20 times for 134 yards and a touchdown for USC, which scored its lowest points in three seasons under coach Lincoln Riley. The Trojans’ longest play gained only 21 yards.
USC started slowly on offense for the third week in a row. They were behind Michigan 14-3 at halftime in a 27-24 loss and trailed Wisconsin 21-10 before coming back to win 38-21.
Taylor fumbled at midfield when Kamari Ramsey knocked the ball loose with 27 seconds left before halftime.
The Trojans had just enough time to tie the game with a 54-yard field goal from Michael Lantz, who began his career at Minnesota in 2019 but had a back injury that paused it in 2021. He later played at Georgia Southern before transferring to USC.
Lantz had missed a 47-yard field goal on the Trojans’ first drive right after Zachariah Branch dropped a pass that would have given them a first down at the 22. Late in the second quarter, Quinten Joyner fumbled at the Minnesota 38 when Perich knocked the ball away.
Robinson’s 3-yard touchdown catch with 7:13 left in the first half put USC on the scoreboard, marking just the second passing touchdown against Minnesota this season.
“We’re still putting ourselves in position to win these games,” Riley said. “We need to make one more play to push ourselves over the hump.”
