Turnovers, penalties doom USC in upset road loss to Minnesota
Three turnovers and eight penalties cost the Trojans a chance at their first Big Ten road win as Minnesota beats USC 24-17.
Follow along with live updates as the No. 11 USC Trojans battle it out on the road against the Minnesota Golden Gophers. WeAreSC will provide live updates here before and during the game.
WeAreSC pregame reading
WeAreSC game/score predictions
Five questions for USC against Minnesota
Keys to the Game: How USC beats Minnesota
What Minnesota coaches, players see from the USC Trojans
USC – Minnesota pregame
* The injury report is released and there are some notable names on it.
* Both teams will be without their top tacklers and standout linebackers in this game. USC linebacker Eric Gentry won’t play after suffering an injury fairly late in the game against Wisconsin. Minnesota leading tackler Maverick Baranowski will miss this game as well.
* Game captains for the Trojans are quarterback Miller Moss, defensive lineman Gavin Meyer, linebacker Mason Cobb and punter Eddie Czaplicki.
* True freshman defensive tackle Jide Abasiri made the trip to his home state of Minnesota. He’s someone to watch the remainder of the season as he gets more comfortable in the defense. He flashed at times this spring and in limited action against Utah State earlier this year. Trojan coaches have said he could earn more snaps on defense as the season goes along.
* USC wide receiver Makai Lemon is out on the field early with the special teams returners getting loose. It’d be big to get him back after he took a scary hit against Michigan and missed last week’s game against Wisconsin. He’s a capable returner but he also gives the Trojans another receiving threat against a Minnesota team that comes in with the nation’s No. 1 pass defense.
* Alani Noa is taking early warmup snaps as the starter at right guard. Amos Talalele started at right guard last week, but Noa wound up taking a majority of the snaps. Lincoln Riley spoke about that position this week and said they were unsure how they’d handle that position going forward, whether they’d settle on a full-time player or continue to rotate there.
* Minnesota cornerback Justin Walley is going through warmups and it looks as though he will play after being listed as questionable on the availability report. That’s a big addition for the Minnesota secondary after he missed multiple games due to injury.
* Minnesota won the coin toss and elected to defer. USC will receive the opening kick.
First Quarter
* Zachariah Branch drops what should have been a third-down completion on USC’s opening drive of the game and the Trojans then miss a 47-yard field goal. The Trojans come up empty on their first possession of the game. Minnesota takes over at its own 30-yard line with 9:25 remaining in the first quarter.
* Anthony Beavers Jr. gets the start over Greedy Vance Jr. to get a bigger body on the field at that nickel spot.
* USC forces a Minnesota punt after a five-play, 24-yard drive. The ball goes out of bounds at the 10-yard line and USC will take over there with 6:41 remaining in the first quarter.
* Minnesota gets another tackle for loss to start USC’s drive and the Trojans go three and out. The Gophers take over at their own 37-yard line with 5:23 left in the first quarter.
* The Gophers go 49 yards in nine plays, hitting a 32-yard field goal to take a 3-0 lead with five seconds left in the first quarter. There were seven Minnesota runs on that drive as they got something working on the ground.
Second Quarter
* USC goes 75 yards in 15 plays and Miller Moss finds Duce Robinson in the endzone for a 3-yard touchdown. It’s 7-3 USC with 7:13 left in the second.
* Minnesota hits a 40-yard run to help set them up in scoring position and then pushes across a quarterback sneak with Max Brosmer. The Gophers go up 10-7 with 4:05 remaining in the first half.
* Quinten Joyner had been running well all game but he takes a helmet to the forearm and coughs up a fumble. Minnesota recovers for the first turnover of the game. Gophers’ ball at their own 26-yard line with 1:51 to play in the first half.
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* USC gets its first significant play of the game as Kamari Ramsey rips out a fumble and Nate Clifton recovers. The Trojans will get a chance to put points on the board before halftime, but they’ll need to work quickly.
* Michael Lantz connects from 54 yards on the final play of the first half and the teams go into halftime tied 10-10.
Halftime Stats
Score – USC 10, Minnesota 10
Total yards – USC 193, Minnesota 156
Passing yards – USC 93, Minnesota 38
Rushing yards – USC 100, Minnesota 118
Third downs – USC 6-for-8, Minnesota 1-for-3
Average yards per play – USC 5.4, Minnesota 6.5
Turnovers – USC 1, Minnesota 1
Penalties – USC 4 for 24 yards, Minnesota 0 for 0 yards
Third Quarter
* Minnesota gets a long catch and run but Vance comes up with a pass breakup on third down. The Trojans take over at their own 9-yard line after a punt by the Gophers with 12:50 left in the third quarter.
* Woody Marks takes it into the endzone out of the Wildcat and USC takes a 17-10 lead with 5:47 remaining in the third quarter.
* Minnesota picks up a big first down on a fourth-and-short in their own territory. The drive continues as the third quarter ticks down.
Fourth Quarter
* USC defensive lineman Gavin Meyer bats away a third-down pass and Minnesota has to punt. The Trojans will take over at their own four-yard line with a chance for another long scoring drive.
* Woody Marks with a big, big run to get USC out of its own endzone. That’s a 20-yard run for Marks.
* A game-changing play from Minnesota as defensive end Jah Joyner gets around the edge and hits Moss as he’s throwing the ball. It flutters forward and is intercepted by linebacker Devon Williams. That’s USC’s second turnover of the game and gives the ball to the Gophers at their own 34-yard line with 10:11 remaining.
* Minnesota pays off the turnover and goes 65 yards in six plays for a touchdown to tie the game at 17 with 7:08 left to play.
* USC is called for intentional grounding on the first play of the drive and goes three-and-out. The Trojans are called for unnecessary roughness on a body-slam tackle on the punt returner and Minnesota is off and running on a potential game-winning drive with six minutes left in the game.
* Minnesota quarterback Max Brosmer is ruled down short of the goal line on a fourth-down sneak. But replay overturns it and awards him a touchdown despite not being able to see the ball cross the plane of the goal line. It’s 24-17 Minnetoa with 56 seconds left.
* Moss is intercepted in the endzone by Minnesota safety Koi Perich with nine seconds left and the Gophers will upset the Trojans, 24-17. That’s the third turnovers of the game for USC.
