MarKeise Irving News - MinnesotaSportsFan https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/tag/markeise-irving/ Minnesota sports, but different Sat, 09 Apr 2022 00:54:12 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.3 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=32,height=32,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/cropped-cropped-MSF-favicon-1.jpg MarKeise Irving News - MinnesotaSportsFan https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/tag/markeise-irving/ 32 32 Mar’Keise Irving Enters Transfer Portal https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/markeise-irving-enters-transfer-portal-minnesota-gophers/ Sat, 09 Apr 2022 00:54:10 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=38701 Another young Minnesota Gophers star running back has entered the transfer portal. Earlier this offseason, it was (RS So) Ky Thomas (to Kansas). Now, with the Spring Game just days away, it’s true sophomore, Mar’Keise Irving. Last year, the two freshmen combined for over 1,500 yards and 10 touchdowns, eating up about 2/3 of the team’s total carries.

Mo, Trey Return; Ky, Bucky Leave

I hate to say I saw this coming, but I did. Two years ago, when I was begging Mohamed Ibrahim to take his talents to the NFL, after one of the best seasons of any running back in Big Ten history. His stock was never going to be higher than it was after that historic seven-game 2020 season and the running back room was stacked with talent behind him. It’s the perfect scenario for a college football team.

Instead, Ibrahim wanted to run it back and get his degree in 2021. Good for Mo. But it may have cost him a shot in the NFL as a mid-round draft pick. He blew out his Achilles tendon in the first game of the year vs Ohio State and was lost for the season. That injury gave Irving and Thomas opportunities as Freshmen and they took advantage.

Now, Mo’s injury setback has pushed him to exercise one last year of eligibility in 2022. Trey Potts, who was also lost midway through the 2021 season with a scary injury, announced he would return too. In the transfer portal age of college athletics, that’s one crowded running back room.

PJ Fleck’s Loyalty Problem

I wish these young athletes would realize that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. But at the same time, PJ Fleck needs to be smarter about his loyalty to upperclassmen who have little left to contribute, compared to that of young budding superstars like Ky Thomas and Mar’Keise Irving.

We have no idea what Mohamed Ibrahim and Trey Potts will provide in 2022, coming off such serious injuries. Now, they’re all PJ Fleck has left in his backfield. How did he allow that to happen?

Remember, Tanner Morgan is returning too which caused multiple QB transfers already. Prized young quarterback, Athan Kaliakmanis, is still on the roster. But for how long?

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

]]> Fri, 08 Apr 2022 19:54:12 +0000 Minnesota Gophers Football Ky Thomas Enters Transfer Portal https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/ky-thomas-enters-transfer-portal-minnesota-gophers/ Mon, 03 Jan 2022 18:45:11 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=37638 Before the Minnesota Gophers Guaranteed Rate Bowl victory against West Virginia, PJ Fleck told media that he expected another wave of transfer portal movement after the game. Well, they say the first one hurts the most and that’s definitely the case here. On Monday morning, redshirt freshman running back Ky Thomas announced his plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal via Twitter.

About an hour later, insider Ryan Burns (GopherIllustrated.com), reported that Ky Thomas had officially submitted his portal application. That means, in all likelihood, he’ll put on another football jersey next season.

Too much talent…

We’ve seen PJ Fleck change minds before. But his standard operation is to disassociate with players who enter the transfer portal. This is a serious blow to the future of Minnesota’s backfield because Thomas looked like a future star.

Ky Thomas broke out as a redshirt freshman in 2021 after injuries to Mohamed Ibrahim, Trey Potts and Bryce Williams paved the way for the 2019 Kansas Gatorade Player of the Year to shine. Alongside true freshman running mate, Mar’Keise Irving, Thomas exploded onto the scene once given the opportunity, finishing with 824 yards (5.0 YPC) and 6 touchdowns in 9 total appearances, including his (144 YD, 1 TD) MVP Guaranteed Rate Bowl performance last week.

But with Mohamed Ibrahim and Trey Potts announcing their returns for 2022, the running back room in Minnesota seems to have gotten too crowded with talent for #8. While it’s disappointing, you can hardly blame these young athletes. There are a lot of opportunities out there right now. This post will be updated if Thomas does officially enter the portal.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

]]> Mon, 03 Jan 2022 12:45:14 +0000 Minnesota Gophers Football Gophers 2022 Backfield Bursting With Experience, Talent After Trey Potts’ Return https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/gophers-2022-backfield-bursting-with-experience-talent-after-trey-potts-return/ Wed, 22 Dec 2021 17:35:10 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=37551 Running the football wasn’t an issue for the Minnesota Gophers in 2021. Even without their top two running backs for most of the season and without four of their total six by the end of week 8, Minnesota’s backs piled on the rushing yards (195 YPG) and attempts (45.5 APG), finishing 29th and 7th nationally in the two categories respectively.

Trey Potts was the bona fide RB2 behind Mohamed Ibrahim entering the season. So when Mo went down in week 1 vs Ohio State, the bell cow role was handed down to Trey. And he (pun intended) ran with it. In 5 total games, Potts ran for over 500 yards and 6 touchdowns on 122 attempts (4.9 YPC).

Suddenly, a backup who entered the season hoping for fill-in reps behind an All Big Ten running back was well on his way to claiming his own such honors. But that dream ended when he suffered a mysterious injury vs Purdue that landed him in an Indiana hospital for nearly a week before he was cleared to return to Minnesota.

Trey Potts Comeback Tour

On Tuesday, we got some good news from Trey Potts, himself. After months of mental and physical battles, he announced (via his social medias), that he’s feeling better and says he’ll “see you” in 2022. Potts will also be on the sidelines for the Guaranteed Rate Bowl in Phoenix, AZ on December 28.

For Trey, this is amazing news. Many of us weren’t sure what his future held or whether he’d ever return to football. Hopefully Potts’ football career has a lot of days ahead. He’s a great kid who works hard and oozes talent.

Potts’ return means the Gophers might have the deepest and most proven running back group in the entire country. Obviously, it will all start with Mohamed Ibrahim. But Trey proved what he could do last season. So did freshmen Mar’Keise Irving and Ky Thomas, both of whom ran for over 550 yards (4.5 YPC) themselves.

Holy Running Backs, Batman…

Neither Irving’s nor Thomas’ success was unexpected. “Bucky” was one of only four, 4-star recruits in Minnesota’s 2021 class. He had offers from just about every team in the Big Ten (including Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska, Michigan and Michigan State). Ky Thomas was a 247Sports.com 4-star high school recruit too AND he won Gatorade Player of the Year in the state of Kansas in 2019.

Together, they were supposed to be “the future”. But that status quickly had to transition to “the now.” Those who follow recruiting closely knew the Minnesota Gophers’ running back room was one of the deepest on the team. Nobody, however, foresaw them using up all that depth during the 2021 season. Now, all four will return for 2022.

This wouldn’t be an honest blog without addressing the elephant in the running back room. How is PJ Fleck going to keep all of this talent boxed up in Dinkytown when a starting opportunity is just a transfer portal entry away for any of these guys? You can guarantee that both Ky Thomas and Mar’Keise Irving have already felt pressure to test the portal by any of friends, family and/or social media. That started back when Mo announced his return in November.

Transfer Portal Risks?

When the transfer portal is as easily accessible and readily available as it is in 2021, you can never rule it out. And, if the Minnesota Gopher backfield is blessed with better health in the upcoming season, playing time will be much harder to come by. That’s before you get into the NIL aspect of everything, which shouldn’t be overlooked.

But as mentioned earlier, both Bucky and Ky got way more run (another pun, I’m sorry) than they expected last season. All four guys are on the radar of NFL scouts, even they younger ones. As long as they’re patient, they’ll all get their shot at being the workhorse for a Big Ten West team, one of the only conferences that remains stubborn about using running back weapons as such.

And for every Jack Gibbens, there’s 100 transfer portal entrants who find that grass is not greener on the other side. There’s absolutely no guarantee they enter the portal and ever find a situation that can showcase their talents like PJ Fleck’s offense will. We just have to hope they realize that too. This running back room seems like one of the closest on the team. That should help.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

]]> Wed, 22 Dec 2021 11:35:14 +0000 Minnesota Gophers Football Expect More Emergency Running Backs to Surface for Gophers https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/expect-more-emergency-running-backs-to-surface-for-gophers/ Tue, 02 Nov 2021 20:10:11 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=36999 What is a power five football program supposed to do when they lose four of the six running backs they had entering the season? Well, Minnesota Gophers fans are about to find out.

We learned on Monday during PJ Fleck’s morning press conference that the latest running back to hit the season-ending injured list is senior (SR) Bryce Williams, who went down with a lower body injury in the win @ Northwestern. Bryce joins the two RB’s already there, (SR) Mohamed Ibrahim and (JR) Trey Potts. Let’s not forget, running back (JR) Cam Wiley entered the transfer portal after the Nebraska win a couple of weeks ago.

  1. Mohamed Ibrahim (SR) | Out – Season
  2. Trey Potts (JR) | Out – Season
  3. Mar’Keise Irving (FR)
  4. Ky Thomas (FR)
  5. Bryce Williams (SR) | Out – Season
  6. Cam Wiley (JR) | Transfer Portal

That leaves the 4-star freshmen thunder/lightning combo of Ky Thomas and Mar’Keise “Bucko” Irving as the only scholarship college running backs on roster. They’re talented but were likely just RB4 and RB5 entering the season. Kids who were expected to carry major workloads a couple of years into the future. Instead, they’ll be asked to produce for a Big Ten West Title contender immediately.

Reinforcements in Training

That doesn’t mean those two will have to do it all themselves. Ky and Bucko might be the only players on roster with running back scholarships but that doesn’t mean they’re the only guys with running back experience. We saw linebacker, Derik LeCaptain, take one carry as a running back vs Northwestern and he housed it on an incredible fairytale 20-yard run (see video evidence at bottom of this blog).

It sounds like LeCaptain won’t be the only non-running back to get a shot at running back. PJ Fleck told media on Monday that he and his staff have dug into all of his players’ history, in search of a semi-competent contingency plan should anything else go awry in the 6-2 Minnesota Gophers backfield.

ELITE Offensive Line

One thing that all Minnesota Gopher running backs currently benefit from is a dominant offensive line, especially in the run game. According to PFF, there’s really no line better. And that’s with six or seven different running backs playing behind them.

Minnesota’s 87.8 rush block grade is the second highest in the nation and the only team ahead of them is the Louisianna Lafayette Ragin Cagins, a ‘group of five’ team. They’ve been absolutely destroying opposing defenders, opening huge running lanes for their running backs.

The Gophers have multiple NFL players on their offensive line. We could be talking in a few years, after guys move on, about just how crazy talented this O-line is. C John Michael Schmitz (89.3) and G Blaise Andries (86.9) both rank in the top-5 for their respective positions in PFF rush block grade. RT Daniel Faalele (81.3) is the o-lineman pro scouts are most interested in, however, given his 6’9″-ft, 380 lb frame that could tap dance circles around you.

Pray for health

No matter how good the Minnesota Gophers offensive line is or how many high school running backs they have on their roster, more injury issues could be devastating. This is an offense that goes based on its run game. If you don’t have any scholarship running backs available, it’ll get difficult to move the ball on the ground.

I trust that PJ Fleck and his staff will be as ready as possible but nobody can be ready for losing all of their running backs during the course of a season. But I’ll close this blog with a video of LeCaptain’s touchdown run because he deserves it.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

]]> Tue, 02 Nov 2021 15:10:14 +0000 Minnesota Gophers Football Gophers Are Running Out of Running Backs https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/gophers-are-running-out-of-running-backs/ Sun, 31 Oct 2021 14:24:32 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=36922 It was another dominant performance by the Minnesota Gophers running back room on Saturday in a convincing win on the road over last year’s Big Ten West champions, the Northwestern Wildcats. Unfortunately, that same group lost another comrade to an undisclosed lower body injury this week, leaving freshmen Mar’Keise Irving and Ky Thomas as the only available running backs on roster.

Entering the 2021 season, running back was one of the deepest and most competitive position groups on the team. It started with All Big Ten back, Mohamed Ibrahim. He lasted three quarters before leaving the opener vs Ohio State with a season-ending leg injury. In those three quarters, Mo racked up 163 yards and 2 touchdowns on 20 carries (5.1 YPC).

Potts Down, Wiley Transfers

So 2022’s RB1, Trey Potts, was forced to take the reigns a season early. He proved to be more than ready and was in route to his own All Big Ten type performance after three starts. But then @ Purdue, Potts suffered his own season-ending injury; one that kept him in an Indiana hospital for six days after Minnesota defeated the Boilermakers that Saturday.

Thankfully, Trey was able to return to Minnesota and, last we heard, was recovering well. In the five games Potts appeared in this season (112 carries), he ran for 552 yards and 6 touchdowns, posting 4.9 yards per carry average.

Then to thin the room even more, Cam Wiley, entered the transfer portal after falling to the bottom of the RB depth chart entering the bye week. If made based on future playing time, that decision by Wiley sure feels premature given the opportunity he’d surely have going forward.

Williams Out, Freshmen Remain

Wiley would have been forced into action today at Northwestern, because Minnesota lost another running back. This time, it was redshirt senior Bryce Williams who had to be carted off the field after a huge 3rd down catch and run that ended in a collision near the sideline. Williams never returned. His status going forward is unknown.

The young 4-star talents remaining for the Gophers have already proven themselves worthy Big Ten backs. Redshirt freshman, Ky Thomas and true freshman, Mar’Keise Irving both went for 100+ yards against the Cornhuskers last week and helped stomp Colorado earlier in the year. Both kids went crazy again vs the Wildcats on Saturday.

  • (FR) Mar’Keise Irving: 19 CAR | 110 YDS | 2 TD | 5.8 AVG
  • (RSFR) Ky Thomas: 21 CAR | 106 YDS | 5.0 AVG

PJ Fleck imagined Ky and Bucko being one of the best 1-2 punches in the Big Ten eventually… but not because they were thrust into action in 2021. But it helps when the offensive line is blocking at the elite level the Gophers’ is.

Emergency LeCaptain

So, the concern isn’t about the reserve running back options PJ Fleck currently has to choose from. The worry is focused on what happens if Ky Thomas and Mar’Keise Irving were to get banged up like the upperclassmen who have fallen before them? Who are the Gophers going to play at running back? It’s a legitimate question.

Well, we got that answer late in the game on Saturday. Backup Sophomore LINEBACKER, Derik LeCaptain, replaced Thomas and Irving in the offensive backfield for the last Minnesota drive vs Northwestern, when they led 34-14. He even got a carry. A carry that he took to the house.

Don’t be overly surprised. LeCaptain was quite the running back in his high school days. Sure, your uncle says that same thing every Christmas… but for Derik, it’s true and there’s video evidence to prove it.

Let’s Just Stay Healthy

Could Derik LeCaptain be a competent power five running back behind the Minnesota Gophers offensive line? Maybe… but I’d rather not find out. If Bryce Williams is going to be out for any extended period of time, PJ Fleck and company needs to find ways to take reps off what would be his only two remaining backs.

Whether that’s more Wildcat runs by Cole Kramer, more wide receiver runs/swing passes or just more throwing volume for Tanner Morgan, Mike Sanford needs to come up with a game plan that has the best chance of maintaining the health of Mar’Keise Irving and Ky Thomas.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

]]> Sun, 31 Oct 2021 09:28:28 +0000 Minnesota Gophers Football Bowl-Eligible Gophers Sit Atop B1G West After Dominating Wildcats https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/bowl-eligible-gophers-sit-atop-b1g-west-after-dominating-wildcats/ Sat, 30 Oct 2021 23:11:04 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=36911 Saturday was a big day for Big Ten football. There were matchups all over the conference that were supposed to help determine the contenders from pretenders in both divisions. But by the time the Northwestern Wildcats kicked off to the Minnesota Gophers at about 2:45 PM in Evanston, the #9 Hawkeyes had already lost to the Badgers and #6 Michigan fell to #8 Michigan State.

Both results from those morning contests helped to swing the doors wide open in the East and West races. That was good news for Minnesota, who thanks to Iowa’s loss, were gifted a chance to take sole position of first place in the the West.

Suddenly, a maroon and gold win at Ryan Field would mean more than bowl eligibility..

Taking care of business

The Minnesota Gophers have played down to their competition throughout the PJ Fleck era and you don’t have to look any further than week 4 of this season, when they somehow found a way to lose to FCS Bowling Green at Huntington Bank Stadium. That wasn’t going to happen this weekend, though.

While the offense failed to punch the football into the endzone during their first two drives, instead settling for two field goals inside the Northwestern 10-yard-line, the defense picked up their slack, returning a fumble for a touchdown in the first quarter and giving up just 14 points on the day.

The Wildcats would score seven of those points early in the 2nd quarter to make the score 13-7 but that was as close as they’d get to catching the Gophers. Their last seven points weren’t scored until 6:37 remained in the game.

Tanner Morgan completed some big passes when asked, but mostly handed the ball to freshmen running backs Ky Thomas and Mar’Keise Irving. He’d watched them tear the home defense apart all evening long.

  • (FR) Mar’Keise Irving: 19 CAR | 110 YDS | 2 TD | 5.8 AVG
  • (RSFR) Ky Thomas: 21 CAR | 106 YDS | 5.0 AVG

Another MN running back bites the dust

Redshirt Senior running back, Bryce Williams, got the start at running back next to Tanner Morgan but he left the game on a cart after being injured on a nice catch and run in the 1st half. If his injury keeps him off the field for any period of time, Minnesota will have just two running backs left on roster.

Even in the 4th quarter of this win, I was worried about giving any more carries to Irving or Thomas. Losing another running back could derail what the Minnesota Gophers are building in 2021. Fleck shared my concern, entering linebacker Derik LeCaptain as the emergency running back during the last offensive drive.

In his only carry, he broke about three tackles and ran for a touchdown. Incredible.

Kings of the West (for now)

The final score of Saturday’s blowout was 41-14, in favor of the Gophers. It was their second-greatest margin of victory on the season, behind the 30-0 shutout of Colorado in week 3. We knew the Gophers had a good chance of taking the West reigns after today but they still had to go out and prove it on the field. They did.

Beating the shit out of the Northwestern Wildcats doesn’t prove anything but PJ Fleck and Co have set themselves up for success with just four games remaining on the schedule (vs Illinois, @ Iowa, @ Indiana and vs Wisconsin).

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

]]> Sat, 30 Oct 2021 23:44:37 +0000 Minnesota Gophers Football Gophers Will Need Tanner Morgan Eventually https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/gophers-will-need-tanner-morgan-eventually/ Fri, 29 Oct 2021 19:11:38 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=36890 The 2021 Minnesota Gophers offense has lost its RB1, Mohamed Ibrahim and RB2, Trey Potts to season-ending injuries. Fortunately for their chances at contending in the Big Ten West, running back was one of their deepest positions entering the year. But the Gophers now have just three running backs remaining on roster, after Cam Wiley entered the transfer portal last week.

But even with the ever depleting backfield, PJ Fleck has been reluctant to put his offense on the shoulders of 5th-year quarterback, Tanner Morgan. Instead, he’s opted to trust his remaining running backs, who have combined for 470 yards and 4 touchdowns in Minnesota’s last two wins over Maryland and Nebraska.

Maybe not this week… maybe not next week… but eventually…

There have been games this season where the Minnesota offense hasn’t needed Tanner Morgan. They’ve been able to dominate play on the ground, and when you’re running up and down teams like the Gophers did last Saturday vs the Terrapins, there’s really no good reason to do anything else.

Other times, however, Fleck has been too reluctant to put the ball in the hands of his veteran leader who he claims to trust so much. Like earlier this season in the worst loss of the head coach’s time in Minnesota. When they were upset at home against Bowling Green in week 4, Tanner Morgan finished 5/13 for just 89 passing yards and 2 interceptions. Dreadful.

If Tanner could have found ANY rhythm on ANY drive during the second half of that game, the Gophers probably win and they’re probably 6-1 instead of 5-2. Instead, Morgan threw both of his interceptions on the final two Minnesota drives, sealing the historic upset. Maybe there was a reason Fleck looked hesitant to give him too many opportunities that day.

If BGSU can do that to this Minnesota offense then so can Iowa and Wisconsin, who are both still on the schedule. At some point, Morgan will have no choice but to throw his team to a victory.

Can Tanner Do It?

Throughout his career in maroon and gold, Tanner Morgan has proven himself as someone who’s capable of being a future NFL draft pick. Hell, he set just about every single-season passing record in the University of Minnesota record books back in 2019, when he finished the season with 3,253 yards, 30 touchdowns and 7 interceptions on 66% passing. But back then, he had Tyler Johnson and Rashod Bateman on each side of him.

Even since, the Kentucky kid has shown flashes of his 2019 self. Just two weekends ago, Morgan went 14/15 for 171 yards and 2 touchdowns in the first half vs Nebraska. During that game, he got in a rhythm early and was tossing dimes all over Huntington Bank Stadium.

Then, he threw two early second half touchdowns and PJ Fleck quickly shut him down for the day. Tanner finished 20/24 for 204 yards, 2 TD and 2 INT.

In other words, we know Tanner Morgan has it in him. But we don’t know whether or not he can be consistent enough and neither does PJ Fleck. Can he tap into that guy vs Wisconsin or Iowa? Because he will absolutely need to play better if the Minnesota Gophers hope to find themselves representing the West in the Big Ten Championship game; something that’s still very much within reach.

No Better Time Than Now

Saturday afternoon in Evanston vs the Northwestern Wildcats would be a perfect time to find out what Tanner Morgan can do. Pat Fitzgerald’s team won the West last season but they’ve been a shell of themselves in 2021, ranking near the bottom of the Big Ten in just about every category.

The Wildcats have been especially bad against the run, surrendering 218.3 yards per game, easily worst in the conference. Illinois is 13th and they give up 150.5 YPG. Thus Pat Fitzgerald will expect PJ Fleck to run them to death on Saturday afternoon.

The Minnesota offense shouldn’t shy away from exploiting those stacked-box looks early. If Sanford can keep Northwestern guessing with a 50/50 early run/pass split (much like what we saw vs Nebraska), Tanner Morgan could get some very easy looks in the first half.

If he can find that early rhythm, the Minnesota Gophers could dispose of the Northwestern Wildcats before halftime and Morgan would gain some confidence going forward.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

]]> Fri, 29 Oct 2021 14:11:40 +0000 Minnesota Gophers Football Gophers Gain Ground in B1G West After Running Over Terrapins https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/gophers-gain-ground-in-b1g-west-after-running-over-terrapins/ Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:17:25 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=36798 It was a beautiful day for some fall football on the eastern edge of Minneapolis, MN on Saturday afternoon. It was there, at Huntington Bank Stadium, where the Minnesota Gophers and Maryland Terrapins did battle for the fifth time in five years.

After Mohamed Ibrahim, who is now walking and no longer using a scooter, won his 6th-straight coin toss, the Gophers deferred. The defense wasn’t on the field long, forcing a Taulia Tagovailoa fumble on the opening drive. But Minnesota’s offense took a couple drives to catch their footing too.

After a shaky start from Tanner Morgan and a missed 50-yard field goal by Matthew Trickett, the run game took off. Ky Thomas led the way with 14 first half carries that went for 104 yards and a TD.

The defense came to play again, spending most of the afternoon in Maryland’s backfield. Bucko Irving and Bryce Williams joined Thomas, trampling all over the turtles and making the most of their opportunities with Mo Ibrahim and Trey Potts out.

Defense + Run Game = Victory

The Minnesota Gophers got the ball coming out of halftime and put up another 7 points, stretching the lead to 24-7. A very nice mix of run and pass, including a 35-yard completion to Mike Brown-Stephens, was capped off by a Bryce Williams 2 yard plunge.

It was a great response after Maryland scored and blocked a FG to end the first half. After the Gopher defense forced the Terps to turn the ball over on downs, Mar’Keise “Bucko” Irving joined the party with a 9-yard TD run of his own. That gave the Gophers a commanding 31-10 lead, late in the 3rd quarter.

It was all Minnesota from there. The Gophers took complete control in the 4th quarter as they piled on the rush yards and, PJ Fleck’s favorite stat, time of possession. Maryland’s offense never had a chance to get going against a Gopher defense that looked dominant, at times. As the point gap spread widened in the 2nd half, pressure on Tagovailoa mounted and Minnesota’s front seven proved to be too much for the Terps to handle.

Dominating performance

When the dust settled, both Ky Thomas and Bucko Irving went for over 100 yards on the ground. It’s the first time two Gopher running backs have done that since 2019 (Shannon Brooks and Rodney Smith vs Illinois). Minnesota finished the game with 327 total rushing yards (out of 452 yards of offense). They were also 7/12 on 3rd down and held the ball for over 37 minutes of game time.

It was a dominating 34-16 victory.

With the win, the Minnesota Gophers move to 3-1 in the B1G West (5-2 overall), which ties them with #11 Iowa for 1st place in the division. The Hawkeyes have this week off. The maroon and gold will travel to Evanston next week to take on the Northwestern Wildcats, who are 3-4 (1-3) and lost by three touchdowns to Michigan today.

Eric will have that game covered from (a likely empty) Ryan Field as he continues his 2021 Big Ten West stadium tour.

Brian Heintz | Minnesota Sports Fan

]]> Sat, 23 Oct 2021 19:17:30 +0000 Minnesota Gophers Football Next [Fresh]Men Up for Gophers With Trey Potts Out https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/next-freshmen-up-for-gophers-with-trey-potts-out/ Mon, 11 Oct 2021 22:00:19 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=36525 The Minnesota Gophers grabbed a huge win in West Lafayette vs the Purdue Boilermakers nine days ago (last Saturday). Two days later, after rumors had surfaced across many public and private forums online, the U of M released a statement on running back Trey Potts, who was rushed out of Ross-Ade Stadium as the game was being completed and remained at an Indiana hospital.

Later last week, on Friday, the Gophers released an update on Potts confirming what had been reported by Andy Greder and others earlier that day. Six days after arriving at the hospital, Trey had been discharged and was recovering back in Minnesota.

All indications I’ve received on Trey Potts’ injury points to a collapsed lung but nothing has been confirmed by team officials. Fleck started his press conference today by addressing Potts’ injury and officially ruling him out for the rest of the 2021 season. PJ made it very clear that he wouldn’t get into any specifics on the nature of the ailment.

Fleck praised the fast action of all medical personnel involved from beginning to end. Watch his entire Monday appearance HERE.

Next [Fresh]men up?

The Minnesota Gophers came into the 2021 season with six running backs on roster, five of which we expected to see sparingly as Mohamed Ibrahim tried to run his way into the top of the Golden Gopher record books. Five games in, they have just four backs left.

Two of the four, Bryce Williams and Cam Wiley, can be considered upper-classmen, with 3+ years of experience. We’ve seen Williams and Wiley used VERY sparingly throughout the year and the small sample size of results tells us why. Their 11 combined carries have totaled just 6 yards.

Instead, I expect PJ Fleck and Co to lean on their two 4-star freshmen running backs, Mar’Keise “Bucko” Irving and Ky Thomas. He mentioned Irving and Thomas first, when asked during Monday’s press conference about where they turn next.

Youth Movement Incoming

Mar’Keise “Bucko” Irving is a smaller-sized true freshman who’s already seen the field quite a bit. He blew up the scene vs Colorado, running for 6.0 yards per carry, but has struggled to bust through the trenches since. Still he’s been the clear RB2 for a few weeks, racking up 125 yards on 25 carries.

Redshirt freshman, Ky Thomas, could see the biggest jump in activity. The former Kansas Gatorade Player of the Year is much bigger than Irving and runs with more of a bulldozer mentality. Thomas has carried the ball just seven times on the season and they were all in the blowout win vs Colorado. Still, his 9.4 yards per carry that day is enough to earn intrigue.

The “lightning and thunder” dynamic will be a glimpse into the future for fans and coaches hope the two youngsters can carry the load while Tanner Morgan continues to search for the way he played in 2019. I did a deep dive into both freshmen running backs back when Mohamed Ibrahim went down with an injury vs Ohio State.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

]]> Mon, 11 Oct 2021 17:00:22 +0000 Minnesota Gophers Football Gophers Should Lean on Talented Freshmen Running Backs to Beat Bowling Green https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/gophers-should-lean-on-talented-freshmen-running-backs-to-beat-bowling-green/ Sat, 25 Sep 2021 02:55:56 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=36394 The Minnesota Gophers will play their homecoming game at 11 AM CT on Saturday vs the Bowling Green Falcons, who they’ve only played two other times in school history (1-1). The Gophers are 31-point favorites and expected to easily dispose of the Falcons.

That should mean a perfect opportunity to get more run for Freshmen backs, Mar’Keise “Bucko” Irving and Ky Thomas, who totaled 22 carries, 155 yards and a touchdown in a 30-0 victory over the Colorado Buffaloes last weekend. But that’s easier said than done when PJ Fleck is your head coach.

Irving and Thomas may have combined for 22 carries vs Colorado. But Trey Potts got 26 by himself. In fact, since Mohamad Ibrahim was injured and Trey was crowned the new bell cow on September 11, Potts has taken 10 more carries than any other running back nationwide.

Freshmen Showcase

With Mohamad Ibrahim out, the Minnesota Gophers will need Mar’Keise Irving and Ky Thomas to take important carries throughout the 2021 season. Fleck made it clear last week, that he’s going to roll with his underclassmen. Upperclassman, Bryce Williams got one carry vs Colorado and fumbled. Cam Wiley didn’t see the field.

But to trust Bucko and Ky, they need reps to prove they’re ready for the real thing. Tomorrow’s game vs an inferior MAC opponent like Bowling Green, should be a perfect opportunity to do exactly that.

The last time the Falcon defense took the field vs a Power 5 opponent was in week one vs the Tennessee Volunteers. They surrendered 331 rushing yards, alone. Yes, you read that correctly. 331 yards on the ground. Fleck and Co are hitting the pillow tonight determined to put up a number similar to that on Saturday. And they should be able to do it without handing the ball off to Trey Potts 25 times.

Save Potts for Big Ten Season

Sometimes it is difficult for PJ Fleck to move on from his RB1. That’s fine when he’s playing against other Big Ten opponents. Nobody will complain if Potts takes 30+ carries to beat Nebraska or Wisconsin. I promise. But the Minnesota Gophers shouldn’t have to run Trey 34 times to beat Miami (OH) or 26 times during a blowout victory over Colorado.

Save Potts for Big Ten play. Use games vs Bowling Green to get reps for young guys who heavily factor into your future plans. It should keep those younger running backs happy and hungry, which is becoming more and more important with the immediate transfer capabilities of 2021. It also gives those young backs invaluable experience that they will need to tap into for the future.

The time for Mar’Keise “Bucko” Irving and Ky Thomas is tomorrow vs the (should be) overwhelmed Bowling Green defense.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

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