The Gophers found a way to upset USC despite four confusing decisions

Don't get it twisted, the Minnesota Golden Gophers staged a fourth-quarter comeback to beat No. 11 USC 24-17 on Saturday night in Minneapolis. However, there were no puzzling decisions made over the course of the 60-minute fight.

The first eye-catching moment came late in the first quarter when the Gophers brought the ball into the red zone. It was third down with seven yards to go when the Gophers decided to run the ball instead of trying to gain first down. The result was a five-yard run that led to a 32-yard field goal by Dragan Kesich. Finishing the drive with points was good but it seemed like a soft play call.

The next confusing series of events came late in the second quarter when the Gophers had the ball and led 10-7. Because the Gophers had a chance to add points before halftime and knew they would get the football back early in the second half, they were extremely conservative. They ran the ball once and had 30 seconds before running the ball again before USC called a timeout.

On those plays, the clock was down to 1:04 with the ball on their own 40-yard line. What did the Gophers do? They ran it again, killing another 28 seconds before finally throwing the ball – a screen to Darius Taylor – with 36 seconds left and as Taylor struggled for yards, he fumbled near midfield and the Trojans recovered.

USC responded aggressively, moving the ball 21 yards on two passes in just 21 seconds to score a game-winning field goal to end the half.

Another strange series of events unfolded in the third quarter. Trailing 17-10, Minnesota faced a four-and-two at its own 42-yard line. Fleck ordered the punt team to go onto the field, but reconsidered and took a timeout. He decided to get the offense back on the field, but without a quarterback.

Instead, the Gophers went out of the wildcat formation with Taylor and Marcus Major in the shotgun formation. Taylor grabbed the snap, faked the give major and managed to get just far enough forward for a first down. This message from Fleck said: “We are not ending this ride with no points.”

But as confident as Fleck was in giving up the punt early in the drive, he didn't retain the confidence later in the drive when the Gophers faced a fourth down eight yards from the end at the USC 37-yard line. Instead of sending Kesich for a 54-yard field goal or keeping the offense back on the field, he called for the punt and Mark Crawford pinned USC inside the five.

The decision didn't backfire on Fleck, but it was strange, especially because USC drove the ball 91 yards on the previous drive to set up the go-ahead touchdown.

Fourth-and-goal from the half-yard line, the game was tied 17-17 with 57 seconds to play and Fleck opted for the touchdown instead of kicking an easy field goal to take the lead. Max Brosmer scored on the QB sneak/tush push, but it wasn't without drama as the call was made on the field just before the goal line and it wasn't a confirmed touchdown until the play was reviewed.

Had the play failed or the decision not been overturned, it would have been a game-changing decision. Instead, it proved to be the right decision, as USC got the ball within field goal range in the final minute before true freshman Koi Perich intercepted a pass from Miller Moss in the end zone, putting the game on ice.