USC pounces on fumble and hits long field goal to close second quarter
No. 11 USC 10, Minnesota 10, end of second quarter
Minnesota started on its 26 after the fumble.
Darius Taylor ran for seven yards and then another two yards. On third-and-one, USC was called offside.
Taylor rushed for five yards. Max Brosmer passed to Taylor for eight yards before he fumbled and USC recovered.
USC took over at its 47 with 26 seconds left in the second quarter.
Miller Moss passed to Woody Marks for 17 yards. Moss passed to Zachariah Branch four yards to the Minnesota 32 with 19 seconds left.
On second-and-six at the Minnesota 32 with 11 seconds left, Moss tossed an incomplete pass to Branch.
Michael Lantz lined up for a field goal and Minnesota called timeout. Lantz lined up for a field goal, but USC was called for a false start. Lantz lined up again and hit a 54-yard field goal as time expired in the second quarter.
Strong USC drive thwarted by a fumble
Minnesota 10, No. 11 USC 7, 2:00 left in second quarter
USC started on its 25 after the touchback.
Zachariah Branch ran for two yards. Miller Moss tossed an incomplete pass intended to for Ja’Kobi Lane. Moss passed to Makai Lemon for 18 yards. Quinten Joyner ran for eight yards to the Minnesota 47.
Joyner then ran for 21 yards to the Minnesota 26 before fumbling. The ball was recovered by the Golden Gophers.
Minnesota responds to USC score with a touchdown drive
Minnesota 10, No. 11 USC 7, 4:11 left in second quarter
Minnesota started on its 25 after the touchback.
Max Brosmer passed to Daniel Jackson for 10 yards. Marcus Major then ran up the middle for seven yards.
Darius Taylor gashed the USC defense for 40 yards and the Trojans were called for a facemask, moving the ball to the USC 9.
On first-and-goal, Taylor ran for two yards. Brosmer’s pass was incomplete, but USC was called for offsides and pass interference, moving the ball to the USC 2.
Taylor ran for a loss of five yards, mvoing the ball to the Trojans’ seven. On second-and-goal, Brosmer passed to Cristian Driver for six yards. It was called a touchdown on the field, but review showed Driver stepped out at the one-yard line.
Brosmer kept the ball and dove for a one-yard touchdown. Minnesota hit the extra point.
USC opens second quarter with touchdown drive
No. 11 USC 7, Minnesota 3, 7:16 left in second quarter
USC faced second-and-10 on its 25 to start the second quarter.
Woody Marks ran for seven yards. On third-and-three, Marks ran for four yards.
Moss’ next pass was batted down and fell incomplete. Marks ran seven yards. On third-and-three, Moss passed to Kyron Hudson for 12 yards.
Marks ran for 13 yards to the Minnesota 32.
Moss then looked deep and pass toward Zachariah Branch in the end zone, but it sailed long and fell incomplete.
Moss passed to Duce Robinson for six yards. On third-and-four, Marks ran for 10 yards to the Minnesota 16.
Bryan Jackson ran for two yards. Moss passed to Marks for six yards. On third-and-two, Moss passed to Makai Lemon and he fought three yards.
On first-and-goal at the Minnesota 5, Marks ran for two yards. Moss then passed to Duce Robinson across the middle for a two-yard touchdown. Michael Lantz hit the extra point.
USC closes sluggish first quarter with the ball
Minnesota 3, No. 11 USC 0, end of first quarter
USC started on its 25 after the touchback.
Miller Moss’ pass to Duce Robinson was incomplete to close the first quarter.
Minnesota hits a field goal to take an early lead
Minnesota 3, No. 11 USC 0, seven seconds left in the first quarter
Minnesota started on its 37.
Darius Taylor ran for three yards. Max Brosmer passed to Elijah Spencer for 10 yards. Marcus Major ran for 12 yards. Taylor ran for seven yards and then ran for another nine yards, quickly moving the ball to the USC 22.
Brosmer ran for four yards. Major then ran fo r aloss of one yard. On third-and-seven at the USC 19, Minnesota called timeout. After the break, Taylor ran for five yards.
Dragon Kesich hit a 32-yard field to give Minnesota the lead.
USC goes three-and-out
No. 11 USC 0, Minnesota 0, 5:32 left in the first quarter
USC started on its 10.
Woody Marks rushed for a loss of three yards. Marks then ran for six yards to the USC 13. On third-and-seven, Miller Moss tossed an incomplete pass intended for Kyron Hudson.
USC punted to the Minnesota 37.
USC defense gets its first stop
No. 11 USC 0, Minnesota 0, 6:49 left in the first quarter
Minnesota started on its 30-yard line.
Max Brosmer passed to Darius Taylor for four yards. Taylor then rushed for 17 yards to the Golden Gophers’ 49.
Taylor ran again but was dropped for a loss of two yards. Marcus Major ran for five yards. On third-and-seven at the USC 46, Brosmer tossed an incomplete pass under pressure from Kamari Ramsey.
Minnesota punted out of bounds at the USC 10.
USC misses field goal on opening drive
No. 11 USC 0, Minnesota 0, 9:25 left in the first quarter
USC started on its 25.
Miller Moss passed to Ja’Kobi Lane for six yards. Moss passed to Woody Marks for no gain. And Moss found Lane again for six yards.
Marks rushed for six yards, moving the ball to the USC 44. Moss then passed to Kyron Hudson for five yards and a first down.
Moss passed to Kyle Ford for seven yards. Quitin Joyner ran for nine and then another six. Moss passed to Zachariah Branch for a loss of one yard, placing the ball at the Minnesota 30. Moss’ next pass to Branch was incomplete.
Michael Lantz missed a 47-yard field goal, closing a promising opening drive with zero points.
And we’re off ...
No. 11 USC 0, Minnesota 0, start of the first quarter
Minnesota won the toss and elected to kick off. There was touchback. USC will start on its 25.
USC linebacker Eric Gentry to miss Minnesota game
USC linebacker Eric Gentry, who was knocked out of the Trojans’ game against Wisconsin, will miss tonight’s game at Minnesota.
Some pregame updates from Times reporter Ryan Kartje, who is at Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn.
USC can reach the playoff thanks to a tough quarterback who never stops swinging
The fans were booing. The big guys weren’t tackling. The skill guys weren’t catching. The coach’s failures were hovering.
As USC took the field at the start of the second half at an angry Coliseum Saturday afternoon, the Trojans trailed Wisconsin by double digits amid the suffocating scent of here we go again.
Enter their tousle-haired, eye-blacked breath of fresh air.
Enter the antithesis of a modern-day college quarterback, a three-year backup who didn’t transfer, didn’t walk out, didn’t sell out.
USC linebacker Raesjon Davis to redshirt this season
When Raesjon Davis arrived in 2021, during the last gasps of the Clay Helton era at USC, the four-star linebacker from Santa Ana Mater Dei looked like he could make an immediate impact at a position where USC desperately needed it.
Those stars never quite aligned. But as other members of that last Helton class would depart in droves — 14 of 23 ended up transferring — Davis continued to bide his time, bouncing from one linebacker coach, one defensive coordinator to another … and another, hoping it would be different.
As a senior this season, Davis still wasn’t making the impact he hoped. So this week, he met with Lincoln Riley to discuss sitting out the rest of the season, in hopes that he’d preserve his final season of eligibility and play as a redshirt senior.
Davis’ father, Rashad, confirmed to The Times that his hope is not to enter the transfer portal, but to continue practicing this season and return to USC next season. Whether that’s how it will happen remains to be seen.
Is Miller Moss taking too many hits? Lincoln Riley isn’t too concerned
Miller Moss could see, as he scanned the scene on a critical red zone third down last Saturday, that a big hit was probably in his future. It was simple math. USC had an extra receiver out wide. Wisconsin had six in the box. Somebody was going to run free. And he would probably pay the price.
The USC quarterback checked with his center, Jonah Monheim, where protection would slide. That way he’d know where the free runner was coming from. But when he snapped the ball, three Badger blitzers broke loose.
Somehow, Moss still managed to sling a pass off his back foot before all three came crashing down on him. And somehow, his pass miraculously found wideout Duce Robinson in traffic for the go-ahead score.
No. 11 USC vs. Minnesota: How to watch the game, plus betting odds
No. 11 USC (3-1) will look to pick up its first road win in the Big Ten on Saturday when it takes on Minnesota (2-3) at Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. PDT. The game will air on the Big Ten Network and will be available on 710 AM in the Los Angeles area.
Here are the latest betting odds for the game:
