Gophers ready to face 'gunslinger' Miller Moss and high-powered USC offense

Minnesota's defense will face another big test on Saturday against USC.

Sep 28, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Miller Moss (7) throws the ball against the Wisconsin Badgers in the first half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Minnesota's defense will face arguably its biggest test of the season against offensive guru Lincoln Riley and talented quarterback Miller Moss on Saturday. USC's offense is averaging 34.2 points per game, which ranks 38th in college football.

There were a lot of questions about Moss heading into the season. He had made only one career start and he was replacing Heisman winner Caleb Williams. He's thus far exceeded expectations, completing 65.4% of his passes for 1,198 passing yards, eight touchdowns and only two interceptions through four games.

"He's a gunslinger, he can throw it around. It's one thing to be a gunslinger, it's another thing to be a gunslinger that's accurate," Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck said. "He's throwing for over 70% completion percentage. It's not just on screens, he's throwing through [tight] windows. He's agile, he can move, he can run. You can tell that he is a football player first and a quarterback second. He loves the game and he makes everybody else around him better."

Riley has coached a long line of great quarterbacks, including Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray, Jalen Hurts and Williams. Moss has all of the traits to be the next in line.

What makes Riley's offenses so successful is often the wide receiver position. This season, USC is led by a talented trio of Ja'Kobi Lane, Zachariah Branch and Kyron Hudson. All three have more than 12 catches and more than 170 yards.

"They got 4-5 receivers that are all big, they can all create space. They can all run, flat out fly," Fleck said. "Their offensive line is probably the biggest that we've played all year and they run the football. They run the football with multiple running backs, a lot of counter, a lot of pullers and they're big and physical."

Statistically, USC's offense is the lowest-scoring unit that Riley has coached since becoming Oklahoma's coach in 2017. It's only the second time in his career his offense has scored fewer than 40 points per game, let alone fewer than 35.

Fleck and the Gophers cannot be too focused on a four-game sample size. Riley has proved to be one of the most prolific play-callers that college football has ever seen and his offense can get to the end zone on any play. The Trojans will present a much different test than Iowa and Michigan presented with powerful running games the last two weeks.

The Gopher and USC play at 6:30 p.m. CT Saturday and the game will be televised on Big Ten Network.