MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck faced a crucial decision, in a tense fourth-and-goal situation with the game tied late, but in his mind there wasn't even a choice to be made.
“How often do you have an inch to go beat USC?” Fleck said.
Max Brosmer powered into the end zone for Minnesota from the 1-yard line with 56 seconds left, his third rushing touchdown of the game for a 24-17 win over 11th-ranked Southern California on Saturday night.
Brosmer, who went 15 for 19 for 169 yards passing, buried himself in a crowd of blockers and found enough of a crease to cross the goal line. The officials on the field ruled him short, but the replay review resulted in a reversal the entire stadium knew was coming.
“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 hustled them up the field before his heave to Duce Robinson from the 28 into double coverage was picked off 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 had 200 yards from scrimmage for Minnesota (3-3, 1-2), including 144 yards on 25 rushes to lead the comeback that culminated with a crowd storming on the field in celebration of the Gophers' first win against the Trojans since 1955. USC leads the series 6-2-1.
With USC leading 17-10, Moss was pressured off the edge by Jah Joyner with 10:11 left when his follow-through was disrupted and the ball floated forward for a diving interception by Devin Williams.
Minnesota went 65 yards in six plays for Brosmer's second rushing touchdown, an off-tackle keeper that tied the game with 7:08 to go. After forcing a three-and-out, the Gophers started 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.
“Stuff was there offensively,” Moss said. “I felt like we were running the ball well.”
Woody Marks had 20 carries for 134 yards and a touchdown for USC, which tied for its lowest score in three seasons under coach Lincoln Riley. The Trojans' longest gain was 21 yards.
USC started sluggishly on offense for the third straight week. They trailed Michigan 14-3 at halftime of a 27-24 loss and fell behind Wisconsin 21-10 at the break before rallying to win 38-21.
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 Minnesota in 2019 before a back injury temporarily halted it in 2021. He resurfaced at Georgia Southern and transferred to USC.
Lantz missed a 47-yard field goal 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.
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.
“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.”
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 Trojans will undoubtedly drop in the next round of AP rankings that will be released on Sunday, likely at least five or so spots.
USC: Awareness and discipline ought to be on the to-do list for 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 game-winning drive with an extra 15 yards.
Minnesota: Fleck ended his postgame news conference two weeks ago after a dispiriting loss to rival Iowa 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.
“We’ve played some really good football teams and came out on some short ends, but this team has been resilient," Fleck said. "They’re tough. They learn from those mistakes. They learn from those times.”
USC: Hosts Penn State next Saturday. The Trojans and Nittany Lions, who were ranked seventh in the latest AP poll, last met in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 2, 2017, in a 52-49 victory by USC.
Minnesota: Plays at UCLA next Saturday night. The Gophers last played the Bruins in 1978.
