The Elite, The Meh & The Ugly – USC

The Gophers delivered under the lights

The Minnesota Golden Gophers (3-3) did their part to contribute to a chaotic weekend of college football, rallying in the fourth quarter to stun the No. 11-ranked USC Trojans (3-2) in a 24-17 upset.

The Elite

The fourth down decision. P.J. Fleck has heard the criticisms of his conservative coaching style. Playing not to lose, rather than playing to win. In his postgame interview with KFAN’s Justin Gaard, he said the call to go for it on 4th & 1 at the goal line rather than kick the field goal was to “allow our team to win the game. Not lose it, go win it.” It was an uncharacteristic gamble by a head coach often skewered for his risk-averse decision-making. But it was unquestionably the right call. Just look at how quickly USC was able to drive to the Minnesota 28-yard line in the final minute of the game. Fleck gave his team its best chance to win the game by going for the touchdown.

Darius Taylor. Don’t let Max Brosmer’s three rushing touchdowns fool you. Darius Taylor did a lot of the work. He was the engine of the Gophers’ offense, rushing for 144 yards and catching five passes for 56 receiving yards. He was responsible for 55% of Minnesota’s total offensive yards.

Max Brosmer. If you’re only looking at the box score, Brosmer’s performance seems pedestrian: 15-of-19 for 169 passing yards and no passing touchdowns. But he didn’t turn the ball over. He made some big time throws. His 22-yard strike to Le’Meke Brockington in between the corner and the safety on the first play of the game-winning drive comes to mind. And he also had three rushing touchdowns to his name, one of which came on a zone read that saw him stroll into the end zone untouched. Brosmer may not have passed for 200+ yards, but he was what Minnesota needed.

The Minnesota secondary. The Trojans came into the game with the 12th-ranked passing offense in the country, averaging 316 yards per game through the air. The Gophers held quarterback Miller Moss to 200 passing yards, limited leading receiver Ja’Kobi Lane to just two receptions for 13 yards, and didn’t allow a pass completion longer than 18 yards. Corey Hetherman’s defense bottled up one of the most explosive offenses in the country, holding them to 17 points (which is half their season average of 34 points per game).

Koi Perich’s game-ending interception. I think we all knew the Esko native was going to be special when he spurned a last-ditch effort by Ryan Day and Ohio State in his recruitment, choosing instead to make a name for himself at Minnesota. Just six games into his career, he’s well on his way. And I’d be lying if I said his game-ending interception didn’t remind me of another play-making Gopher safety who is now playing on Sundays.

Mark Crawford. The punt unit was outstanding against the Trojans. Crawford only punted three times, but all three of them were downed inside the 10-yard line.

The program’s first win over USC since 1955. 69 years is a long time!

This is what it’s all about. The team needed this win. P.J. Fleck needed this win. But more than anything, Gopher fans needed this win. Fans want to be able to show up to Huntington Bank Stadium or turn on their television on Saturdays and believe that their team has a chance to win, even against the No. 11-ranked team in the nation. When you lose enough games, it gets harder and harder to believe that. To renew their faith, fans need to see it rewarded from time to time.

The Meh

The Ugly

The run defense. Just terrible, honestly. USC running backs Woody Marks and Quinten Joyner combined for 178 rushing yards on 24 carries, averaging 7.4 yards per carry. You cannot allow opposing running backs to average more than 7 yards per carry. Fleck conceded after the game that the defensive game plan was to force USC to beat them on the ground — which they nearly did. I realize that defensive tackle Jalen Logan-Redding was limited and the Gophers were without linebacker Maverick Baranowski, but the Minnesota defense needed to be tougher up the middle.

Third down defense. The Trojans were 7-for-11 on third downs. Consistently getting off the field on third downs continues to be an issue for this defense.

Justin Walley’s bizarre penalty. On USC’s final drive of the game, Justin Walley was flagged with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for “simulating brandishing a weapon.” I don’t know about you, but that’s a first for me. The offending gesture was Walley lifting up his jersey and exposing his abs. Earlier this season, LSU wide receiver Kyren Lacy was flagged for pretending to point and shoot a firearm at a USC defender after a touchdown. South Carolina defensive end Dylan Stewart had a similar incident on Saturday. Both of those instances seem cut and dry to me, but the call against Walley seems wildly presumptuous, no? It didn’t ultimately impact the outcome, but it also came at a critical point in the game. If you’re going to call it, it better be egregious.