USC Trojans' Lincoln Riley Reveals What Went Wrong in Minnesota Upset

The No. 11 USC Trojans fall to the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the final minute 24-17 in Minneapolis. USC drops to 0-2 on the road in Big Ten play and remain winless in the central time zone since 2011.

Oct 5, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley looks on during the first half against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

The No. 11 USC Trojans fall to the Minnesota Golden Gophers in a 24-17 slugfest in Minneapolis. USC drops to 0-2 in road games in the Big Ten and remains winless in the central time zone since 2011.

"We just didn't play good enough to win," said USC coach Lincoln Riley.

With star linebacker Eric Gentry out, the Trojans struggled to slow down the Gophers run game, giving up 118 yards on the ground in the first half. Minnesota finished with 193 yards on the ground. Sophomore running back Darius Taylor led the way with 144 yards on 25 carries and senior quarterback Max Brosmer added three rushing touchdowns.

Penalties were an issue for USC. They had 8 for 59 yards, including a costly unnecessary roughness penalty by senior linebacker Easton Mascarenas-Arnold late in the fourth quarter that helped kickstart Minnesota's game-winning drive. Similar to the Michigan loss, the Gophers drove down to the USC 1-yard line in the final minute of regulation. Brosmer's 1-yard plunge on 4th-and-goal gave Minnesota the win.

"Came down to just inches, right there at the end," Riley said. "And that's the frustrating thing for our team right now."

Oct 5, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley looks on during the first half against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

It was another slow start for the Trojans on offense. After moving the ball on their opening possession, a drop by sophomore receiver Zachariah Branch on third down caused that drive to stall. Redshirt senior kicker Michael Lantz's field goal fell wide right under windy conditions. They trailed by three at the end of the first quarter.

USC found success at the start of the second quarter, leaning heavily into the ground game with senior running back Woody Marks, who finished with 134 yards on 20 carries. Sophomore receiver Duce Robinson caught a 3-yard touchdown pass from redshirt junior quarterback Miller Moss to cap off a 15 play, 75-yard drive that took 7:52 off the clock. It's the second game in a row Robinson has caught a touchdown.

Minnesota would respond with a touchdown drive of their own on the ensuing drive. A 40-yard run by Taylor plus a facemask penalty tacked on 15 yards and brought the ball into inside the 10-yard line. A 1-yard run by quarterback Max Brosmer gave the Gophers a 10-7 lead.

Following a Quinten Joyner fumble, less than 90 seconds later, redshirt sophomore safety Kamari Ramsey forced a fumble of his own, getting the Trojans the football back late in the first half. The turnover led to a Lantz career-long 54-yard field goal to even the score at the half.

USC opened up the second half, with their third drive of the game that lasted at least 11 plays. Marks' 1-yard touchdown run on a direct snap gave the Trojans their first lead of the game at 17-10.

Protection from the tackle positions continued to be a problem for the USC offense. Early in the fourth quarter, Minnesota edge rusher Jah Joyner beat tackle Mason Murphy and hit Moss as he attempted to throw the ball downfield causing it float in the air and lead to an interception.

Oct 5, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers defensive lineman Lucas Finnessy (46) attempts to recover a fumble against the USC Trojans during the first half at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

From there, all of the momentum shifted towards the Gophers. The turnover lead to Brosmer's second rushing touchdown of the game and tied the game at 17-17. A three-and-out by the Trojans gave Minnesota the ball back with the chance to take the lead. The Gophers drove the ball all the way down to the 1-yard line where Brosmer punched it in for his third rushing touchdown of the game and gave Minnesota the lead 24-17 with under a minute remaining.

In a last-gasp effort Moss' pass for Robinson in the end zone was intercepted by Minnesota freshman safety Koi Perich. It was the third turnover of the night for the Trojans.

"We're going to hold all three sides accountable, all the coaches, everybody," said Riley. "We need to be a little bit better because we had the makings of a really good team tonight."

USC will return to the Los Angeles Memorial on Saturday, Oct. 12 to take on the No. 7 Penn State Nittany Lions.

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