The Minnesota Golden Gophers secured their biggest victory of the young season over USC football on Saturday night, fueled by nearly 400 yards of total offense. Coach PJ Fleck’s team led 24-17 late in the fourth quarter as dynamic USC quarterback Miller Moss attempted to lead his team to a game-tying score.
The Trojans had a chance to get the touchdown they needed with precious seconds ticking off the clock. Moss hurled a pass toward the center of the end zone only to watch helplessly as Gophers defensive back Koi Perich stepped in front of his receiver to haul in a game-sealing interception. Chants of ‘PJ Fleck!’ broke out as the Gophers coach recalled what he saw on the field. The play will go down as one of the best in recent memory among the Minnesota faithful, and it was made by a freshman from Esko, Minnesota.
Perich did not appear to lack for confidence as he took to social media after the game.
“Who’s LeBron,” Perich wrote as he shared a still frame of his soaring interception vs. Trojans star wideout Duce Robinson.
The 6-foot-1, 200 pound Gophers safety’s heroics aren’t new to diehard Gophers fans. Perich had 108 return yards against the Michigan Wolverines in a narrow loss in Ann Arbor, Michigan the previous week. Now, Minnesota must corral their emotions before heading to UCLA to play a reeling Bruins team next weekend in Los Angeles.
