The Gophers toppled No. 11 USC 24-17 on Saturday night. It’s their fifth win over a ranked opponent under PJ Fleck and perhaps their biggest since the 2021 victory over No. 14 Wisconsin. What have we learned?

This Gophers team is at its best when they play through Taylor. Last week Max Brosmer proved they can move the ball through the air, but Taylor needs to get 20+ carries per week. He opened Saturday night’s game with an absolute truck-stick run through a USC defenseman. A 40-yard run through a facemask penalty later in the first half was just more proof of how special he is.

What stood out most against USC was his patience. As a true sophomore, he has the patience of an NFL-level player. Running backs at the college level are true game changers and Taylor changed Minnesota’s win over the Trojans. He finished the night with 30 touches for exactly 200 yards.

Perich is slowly becoming more integrated into the Gophers’ defense as his true freshman season progresses. Last week against Michigan, the Esko, Minnesota native showed how special he can be as a returner, but this week against USC he showed he deserves to be a player on defense.

Kerry Brown suffered an injury early in the game, opening the door for Perich to get more work on early downs. He took the opportunity and ran with it. He forced a fumble and had six total tackles, then capped the night with an INT that sealed the game. He gets better and better every game.

Joyner, who believed he was destined to be the first Gophers defenseman with double-digit sacks since 2013, had just one sack in the game. He still only has one sack, but he came up big when he hit the arm of USC quarterback Miller Moss to force an interception to stop a Trojans offense that had them in Minnesota territory and threatening to extend a lead of 17-10 by about 10 minutes. left in the fourth quarter.

The Trojans ran for 173 yards on the ground. For the fourth straight game against a major conference opponent, Minnesota’s front seven was dominated in the run game. This would be the strength of the Gophers defense. Through six games, both the Gophers’ offensive and defensive lines may be the most disappointing units on their football team.

This Gophers team is just a few steps away from being 5-1 and realistically in the top 20. Close games often come down to special situations that usually lead back to coaching. Minnesota was one punt away from beating North Carolina, an illegal offside call away from beating Michigan and they led Iowa 14-7 at the half.

Hindsight is always 20/20, but tonight’s performance against USC showed once again that this team is not far off.