The USC Trojans fell 24-17 to the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Saturday, October 5. Minnesota outscored USC 14-0 in the fourth quarter, and the touchdown with 56 seconds left proved to be the difference.

The No. 11 Trojans fall to 3-2 on the season, and Trojans quarterback Miller Moss had a performance to forget. He went 23 for 38 with 200 yards passing, one touchdown and two interceptions.

Moss immediate response

Trojans quarterback Miller Moss was asked after the game what Minnesota did to stifle the USC passing game.

“They did a really good job offensively limiting our possessions. I thought we beat them up while running. . . . “I felt like we were moving the ball up and down the field, but I didn’t put the points up in a way that reflected that.”

USC had 373 yards of offense, 173 of which were on the ground.

It was frustrating as the Trojans only scored 17 points. Lincoln Riley seemed extra excited in his postgame presser after defensive end Jamil Muhammad was asked about the Minnesota touchdown and whether it came in or not.

Riley said, “Don’t ask him that. Next question… Let’s ask a more professional question.’

Trojans insult battle when losing

The USC offense never seemed to get into a consistent rhythm against Minnesota’s defense despite the Trojans’ solid start to the game. Moss started by completing his first six passes, but a third down pass was dropped by Zachariah Branch to end that streak and force a field goal attempt. That kick would not be good and the match remained 0-0.

Most of Moss’ attempts were short-yardage passes near the line of scrimmage. Moss didn’t take many shots in the field.

The Trojans’ scoring came in the second quarter with a Duce Robinson three-yard touchdown catch and a Woody Marks touchdown run early in the third quarter.

The wheels came off for the Trojans in the fourth quarter as they secured a 17-10 lead. A Miller Moss strip interception led to a Minnesota tie. After getting the ball back, USC went three-and-out and punted the ball back to Minnesota.

The Gophers marched down the field and scored a touchdown on fourth-and-goal with 56 seconds left to take a 24–17 lead.

The Trojans’ attempt to tie the game failed when a Miller Moss pass was picked off in the end zone. Moss’ second interception sealed the Minnesota win and improved the Gophers’ mark on the year to 3-3.

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