Gophers football beat No. 11 USC 24-17 after a four-down gamble on the final drive

The three-week stretch between Iowa, No. 12 Michigan and No. 11 USC was the daunting task facing the Gophers football team, and losses to the Hawkeyes and Wolverines put them in a tough spot: a 2-3 record, one 0-2 mark in the Big Ten and a team that had plenty of doubters.

On Saturday night, however, the Gophers put it all together and beat No. 11 USC with two fourth-quarter touchdowns in front of 50,913 fans at Huntington Bank Stadium.

It was Minnesota's first win over a ranked team since last year's 12-10 triumph at No. 24 Iowa. And the Trojans were the highest-ranked team the Gophers (3-3, 1-2 Big Ten) have beaten since beating No. 9 Auburn 21-24 in the Outback Bowl following the 2019 season.

Koi Perich's end zone interception sealed the victory with nine seconds left, and fans rushed the field after quarterback Max Brosmer took one last knee.

It was Brosmer who provided the late heroics, scoring his third tush-push touchdown of the night with a plunge from inside the 1-yard line with 56 seconds left in the fourth quarter.

This fourth-and-goal play was originally ruled short on the field, but a replay of the play showed Brosmer had reached the end zone.

“It’s absolutely unbelievable for our team,” Brosmer said in a postgame interview on KFXN-FM.

During his halftime radio interview, Gophers coach PJ Fleck emphasized that Minnesota's defense needed to find a way to get off the field on third down. This was a problem most of the night. USC converted six of eight third-down opportunities in the first half and helped the Trojans put together 11- and 15-play drives. In the second half, they picked up where they left off, marching 91 yards in 12 plays and taking a 17-10 lead on Marks' 1-yard TD run. Marks had six carries for 41 yards on the drive and a 7-yard reception.