Minnesota Golden Gophers vs USC Trojans: 4 Stats to Know and Why They Matter

The Minnesota Golden Gophers are in the midst of a challenging season. Fresh off a frustrating defeat on the road against the Michigan Wolverines, their third consecutive loss to a Power 5 opponent, the Gophers are now back home for a huge matchup against the No. 11 USC Trojans. Unsurprisingly, Minnesota is nearly a double-digit underdog at home against the Trojans. It’s a reflection on a Golden Gophers offense, which ranks 78th in scoring (28.4 PPG), 73rd in passing (225.8 total ypg) and 114th in rushing (101.4). It’s why we’ll be keeping an eye on both defenses between USC vs Minnesota. Let’s dive into the stats you need to know for Saturday night’s USC Trojans vs Minnesota Gophers matchup. As always, we include additional stats and data as part of our analysis. This isn’t the same laughably bad USC Trojans defense we’ve seen in previous seasons. Lincoln Riley hired D’Anton Lynn as the Trojans defensive coordinator this offseason. That move is proving to be one of the best hires in college football. Enteri