Gophers leading tackler Maverick Baranowski misses game vs. USC

The Gophers were without their leading tackler for Saturday night’s home football game against USC, but their top cornerback returned to action.

Linebacker Maverick Baranowski, who leads the Gophers with 36 tackles, suffered what appeared to be a shoulder injury last week at Michigan and was listed as out on the Big Ten’s availability report. Cornerback Justin Walley, who missed the past two games because of a knee injury, returned to the lineup after being listed as questionable.

Defensive lineman Jalen Logan-Redding was listed as questionable and did not start but later entered the game.

Baranowski, a third-year sophomore, has been a solid contributor this season and has developed his game since the 2023 season, when he played in 10 games and battled injuries late in the season.

“He’s really fast, he’s really athletic, he’s really smart, he’s violent in the way he plays,’’ Gophers coach P.J. Fleck said of Baranowski “He loves the game of football and plays it the right way.’’

With Baranowski out, junior Devon Williams started.

Walley, a senior who’s been a starter since midway through his freshman season, was replaced in the starting lineup the past two weeks by redshirt freshman Za’Quan Bryan.

Also listed as out on the availability report were tight end Pierce Walsh and running back Kaeden Johnson.

The Gophers have offered a scholarships to Devin Fitzgerald, a wide receiver in the 2026 recruiting class who father is former Holy Angels and Arizona Cardinals star Larry Fitzgerald Jr., and Daylen Sharper, a wideout and son of former Viking Darren Sharper.

Devin Fitzgerald, 6-2 and 185 pounds, and Daylen Sharper, 6-3 ½ and 200, play for Brophy College Preparatory in Phoenix. Both are three-star recruits, according to 247Sports.com. Daylen Sharper is the second-ranked receiver in Arizona and 81st-ranked wideout nationally. Fitzgerald is the fourth-ranked receiver in Arizona and the 83rd-ranked receiver nationally the 2026 class.

Inconsistency has been a constant for the Gophers in their 2-3 start entering Saturday’s game against USC, and Minnesota’s special teams have been an example of the ups and downs.

Dragan Kesich, the Big Ten’s kicker of the year in 2023 when he 23 of 27 field-goal attempts, was 6-for-11 on field goals this season with misses in four of five games. He’s connected on kicks of 53 and 52 yards against Rhode Island and Nevada, respectively, but his misses from 27 and 47 loomed large in the 19-17 opening loss to North Carolina. Against Michigan last week, he missed from 55 yards and made a kick from 20.

Fleck believes Kesich will work himself out of the slump.

“In baseball terms, keep swinging,’’ Fleck said. “… I believe in him 100%. Most of his field goals are outside of 50 yards. That’s how much I trust him. Fifty-five yards is a tough field goal for anybody. He can make it. I watch him every day in practice.”

Mark Crawford is averaging 44.1 yards per attempt, which ranks sixth in the Big Ten among those who have enough attempts to qualify. Four of Crawford’s 20 punts have been 50 yards or longer, and three have been downed inside the opponent’s 20-yard line.

The Gophers have received a big boost in the punt return game from true freshman Koi Perich, whose 60-yard return against Michigan helped set up a fourth-quarter touchdown. Entering Saturday, Perich was averaging 26.4 yards on his five returns, and his 132 yards in punt returns were the most by a Gopher since Craig James had 139 in 2014. Perich also has returned six kickoffs for 106 yards.

“He’s got that Antoine [Winfield Jr.] smile and that love for the game,’’ Fleck said of the Esko native. “… If you give him a little bit of space, he can be dangerous.’’

* The Gophers entered Saturday’s game with a 1-6-1 record all-time against USC, including a five-game losing streak. Minnesota’s only win against the Trojans was a 25-19 triumph in 1955 at Memorial Stadium. The teams tied 20-20 in 1965 in Los Angeles.

The most recent meeting between the Gophers and Trojans was in 2011, when USC held off Minnesota 19-17 in Jerry Kill’s first game as Gophers coach.

* Minnesota entered Saturday’s game with the nation’s top-ranked passing defense, allowing 96.8 yards per game. The Gophers have allowed only one touchdown pass and have intercepted eight passes, which was tied for sixth in the nation. It should be noted that opponents were attempting 22.4 passes per game, which is the sixth fewest in FBS. The Gophers were giving up 226.8 total yards per game, which ranked sixth fewest nationally. Minnesota was giving up 130 rushing yards per game, which was tied for 61st.