Golden Gophers Come Up Short Against USC in 1st Game of Jerry Kill Era

Opening up a season in the L.A. Coliseum against USC is a tall order for any college football program. When you're a first-year coach in a program that is reeling from the failed tenure of its previous head coach, it's downright intimidating.

Newly anointed head coach Jerry Kill took over a University of Minnesota Golden Gopher program that is looking to build a foundation after the firing of Tim Brewster.

After the first few possessions of the Jerry Kill era, it appeared that the team was back to its old ways.

Junior quarterback MarQueis Gray failed to find a rhythm throwing the ball and often found himself scrambling out of the pocket to gain yardage.

The system that Kill runs in Minnesota allows Gray some flexibility in running the ball, and while a more balanced attack would have helped keep the Trojans defense on their heels Kill wasn't going to force the issue with the team already working to adapt to the system.

Trojan quarterback Matt Barkley was in top form early on as he and wide receiver Robert Woods connected for three first-half touchdowns, including a 43-yard score. Woods would set a Trojan record with 17 receptions on the day for 177 total yards.

Trailing 19-3 as the first half came to a close, Kill stopped his players for a sideline conversation before heading up the tunnel. Addressing the media after the game he spoke to the effort his team put forth in the first half:

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"I thought we were walking around in the first half, lethargic, not what I'm used to dealing with it. We had headset problems in the first half and had trouble communicating. We didn't have headsets for half of the first half. We had trouble getting signals in and had trouble communicating with MarQueis. There just wasn't any smoothness. I told the team (at the half) you are going to play hard and bust your butt."

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Kill clearly got through to his team; the Gophers held the Trojans on the opening possession of the second half and forced a much-needed turnover that led to points and brought the team back in range.

Almost as quickly as the Gophers found their offensive rhythm, it could have been taken away after quarterback MarQueis Gray left the game, leaving true freshman Max Shortell to fill in.

Shortell wouldn't let the pressure of the situation get to him. He continued to march the Gophers down the field, eventually cutting the deficit to 19-17.

With a couple of minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Gophers had one final chance to drive the length of the field and pull off a stunning upset. Their effort fell short; Shortell threw a game-clinching interception on a 3rd-and-1 fade play.

The Gophers defense ranked last in college football last season with only nine total sacks. They were once again shutout in that category as Matt Barkley wasn't brought down, but the defensive pressure did hold the Trojans to 67 total rushing yards, causing the team to become even more one-dimensional.

A win would have clearly been the best way to start off the Kill era in Minnesota, but seeing the team come together and work as a cohesive unit while competing against a highly-ranked opponent has to make Gopher Nation feel better than they did at any point during the Tim Brewster debacle.

Today's effort can only increase the confidence of the Gophers as they head home to play host to New Mexico State, Miami-Ohio and North Dakota State before opening the Big Ten season at Michigan.