Stakes are high for USC and the Gophers entering Saturday night’s clash

USC’s Lincoln Riley has coached in four games as a Big Ten member, including a pair of conference contests. The move from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten has been full of adjustments, and one is getting used to the new league’s game officials.

So far, Riley is not complaining.

“At least up to this point, what we’ve seen: This league lets you play a little bit more,” he said. “There’s less ticky-tack things called.”

Riley might get an argument from Gophers coach P.J. Fleck on that point, given last week’s hubbub at Michigan, but this isn’t the USC coach’s first time in walking the delicate line when speaking about officiating.

“I don’t think I got fined there,” Riley joked about his assessment.

Riley and Fleck will face off Saturday night at Huntington Bank Stadium when No. 11 USC visits the Gophers. It’s a crucial game for Minnesota (2-3, 0-2 Big Ten), which has lost two consecutive contests, is on a six-game conference losing streak and desperately needs to stack wins if it’s to avoid a second straight losing season.

It’s also an important game for the Trojans (3-1, 1-1), who have Big Ten title and College Football Playoff aspirations and don’t want to absorb second loss.

The Gophers and Trojans share a common result. Two weeks ago, USC traveled to Michigan and left with a 27-24 loss. Last week, the Gophers left Michigan Stadium with a loss by that same score. The Trojans fell to the Wolverines when the hosts drove 89 yards in 10 plays to score the decisive touchdown with 37 seconds left. The Gophers lost when their 21-point fourth-quarter rally ended with 1:37 left after their successful onside kick recovery at the Michigan 37-yard line was ruled offsides.

Fleck was encouraged by the comeback but pointed to first-half mistakes — missed tackles, plus a lost fumble and a blocked punt, both deep in Minnesota territory — that put his team down 21-0.

“I’m watching us get better at a lot of things,” he said, “but we’re making too many small mistakes — in terms of play numbers — but catastrophic when you look at the game.”

It would behoove the Gophers to keep the mistakes at a minimum against USC because quarterback Miller Moss can make a defense pay quickly. The 6-2, 205-pound redshirt junior inherited the Trojans starting job from No. 1 overall draft pick Caleb Williams and averages 299.5 passing yards per game with eight touchdowns vs. two interceptions.

Moss’ best targets are wideouts Zachariah Branch, an All-America selection as a true freshman last year, and Ja’Kobi Lane, a sophomore with four TD receptions this season.

“It’s one thing to be a gunslinger, but it’s another thing to be a gunslinger that’s accurate,” Fleck said of Moss, who’s completing 65.4% of his passes.

The Trojans certainly can air it out, but Gophers defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman doesn’t see USC as just a passing team.

“I went into it expecting this is going to be pass, pass, pass,” he said. “It’s not. They do a good job being very balanced.”

The Trojans average 143.8 rushing yards per game and 4.9 yards per carry. Woody Marks (334 yards) and Quinten Joyner (7.3 yards per carry) are their top rushers. “They find matchups,” Hetherman said. “They find space.”

Riley is just as concerned about the Gophers offense and quarterback Max Brosmer, the New Hampshire transfer who’s shouldering a bigger load in the absence of an effective Minnesota running game. Brosmer went 16-for-23 for 137 yards in the second half against Michigan and led three TD drives in the fourth quarter.

“This guy is really good quarterback,” Riley said. “He’s smart, decisive with the football, has a great feel on what they’re doing offensively. It really fits him. We’ve got to make him uncomfortable, which, for what we’ve seen on tape, is not an easy task.”