USC football strode into Minneapolis with a 3-1 record, ranked as the 11th-best program in the nation to take on the unranked 2-3 Golden Gophers. The Trojans were 8.5-point favorites, but Minnesota wasn’t intimidated.
The Gophers defense kept Lincoln Riley’s offense in check and they rode running back Darius Taylor’s 5.8 yards per carry to a 24-17 win. But of course, that isn’t the whole story.
The stats tell the rest of the tail. How did USC manage to lose against Minnesota?
USC Football’s 3 Worst Stats From Loss to Gophers
15 Missed Tackles
The Gophers leaned into the run and the Trojans couldn’t stop it. Of the team’s 15 missed tackles, 10 of them came when trying to tackle on running plays. The defense was unable to take down Taylor with the first man, which forced the linebackers and secondary to make open-field tackles. Cornerback Jaylin Smith was the top offender, missing five tackles followed by linebacker Mason Cobb with four.
This is certainly a game in which USC football missed Eric Gentry, who missed the game due to a neck injury. He had missed just two tackles
4 Pressure
One of the big questions for the Trojans heading into their first season in a new conference was whether could they match the trench physicality of Big 10 offensive lines. In this game, the answer was a resounding “No!”
The defense managed just four quarterback pressures. With all that time, Brosmer could carve up the defense. While the Gophers rushed the ball 39 times, quarterback Max Brosmer was able to complete 79 percent of his 19 passing attempts.
Heading into this game USC football was averaging 11 pressures per game.
59 Completion Percentage
Riley’s offense is predicated on throwing the ball. So despite having a successful day running the ball, Riley still called 39 passing plays, but Miller Moss was off target on all but 59 percent. In wins, he has completed 70 percent of his passes, in their two losses it is just 57 percent.
Moss also threw two interceptions.
One big difference that makes this even more confounding, Moss was under pressure on just eight of his dropbacks. Compare that to his 24 pressures when they played Michigan. USC receivers were credited with only one drop.
