This after Koi Perich dropped a bomb Thursday night that he would be seeking other opportunities in the transfer portal. Thankfully his former teammates Anthony Smith, Karter Menz, and Darius Taylor are among his former teammates that are set to return.

It has become customary for P.J. Fleck to lose members of his coaching staff just about every offseason, leaving Minnesota to hire new coaches from the outside and elevate those already inside the program.

Two former MN Gophers land on coaching staff

This time around, Fleck & Co. had to replace multiple coaches, after their RB coach was hired away by Wisconsin, their OLB coach by Purdue and their DL coach was let go. This time around, the Gophers are looking outside-in, bringing back familiar faces who were not with the program last season.

As first reported by Andy Greder of the Pioneer Press, Minnesota is hiring two former Gopher players — Mohamed Ibrahim and Isaac Fruechte as their new running backs and wide receivers coaches, respectively..

The Gophers football program will not retain longtime receivers coach Matt Simon for next season and is in the process of replacing him with Isaac Fruechte, a source told the Pioneer Press on Friday.

The Gophers also are planning to hire record-setting tailback Mo Ibrahim to replace Jayden Everett as its running backs coach, a source said. Everett left for Wisconsin, while Ibrahim, who holds the U’s career rushing record of 4,668 yards, was the running backs coach at Kent State for one season.

Pioneer Press

Isaac Fruechte played a single-game for the Minnesota Vikings, after playing 38 for the Gophers. He has been coaching since, most recently at North Dakota (2024).

Ibrahim logged a single-game for the Detroit Lions in 2023, after rushing for the most yards and touchdowns in MN Gophers history — 4,668 yards and 53 touchdowns. Mo spent one year as Kent State’s running backs coach before returning to Minnesota this offseason.

The Golden Gophers are bringing in the best recruiting class in program history and now Fleck has added young talent to his staff that that should help build these rooms up.

Gophers staff continues to be finalized

There have been some firings and promotions that have left openings elsewhere on Fleck’s staff as well. The one remaining opening, after two more hirings, is the outside linebackers/nickel backs spot.

Minnesota is working to bring in Daniel Da Prato to replace Bob Ligashesky as special teams coach. Da Prato has been the special teams coordinator at New Mexico, and one of his units returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown in Minnesota’s 20-17 overtime win over the Lobos in the Rate Bowl.

The U will also be bringing in Travis Moore to be an assistant defensive line coach. He has been the defensive ends coach at Northern Illinois since 2019. He played for the Huskies alongside Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck in the early 2000s.

Pioneer Press

Bob Ligashesky was let go earlier this week and Fleck didn’t waste time replacing him. After coaching against Daniel De Prato in the Rate Bowl, Minnesota swooped up the coach that embarrassed Ligashesky’s unit.

C.J. Robbins and Bobby April have taken spots on the defensive side of the ball, and Travis Moore will come in to work alongside both of them.

Mohamed Ibrahim joins the Minnesota Gophers coaching staff

The Minnesota Gophers have a lengthy history of strong running backs, unquestionably none have ever been as decorated as Mo Ibrahim. After six years in college he joined the P.J. Fleck Show and said, “I’m just happy to be on here.” When Fleck was asked why Ibrahim was actually in the building, he revealed it isn’t just to do with the show.

WATCH: The @FOX9 P.J. Fleck Show had a surprise guest today.

See what former #Gophers RB Mo Ibrahim is up to on today's show with @Coach_Fleck, @TheNoujFOX9, @3RonJohnson and @Gaardsy. pic.twitter.com/C2IMmKvPsj

— Jeff Wald (@JeffWaldFox9) September 17, 2024

“Coach Mo. Yep, he’s been helping out our running backs and it’s really good to have him in the building. You get a lot of your former players that come back and want to be coaches. We know he still has that NFL dream that he’s doing and we hope that works out for him. I know he really wants to coach so being able to get in here and have that experience of being a coach at this level. He’s going to be so successful in whatever he decides to do. I know he’s got that coaching itch and we’re not going to talk him out of it because I think he’s going to be a real special one.”

P.J. Fleck on Mo Ibrahim helping the Gophers coaching staff (Fox 9)

As Fleck alluded to, Ibrahim would still like to be playing on Sundays. He racked up nearly 4,688 rushing yards in his Dinkytown career, a Minnesota Gophers school record. Remember, there have been some legendary running backs who have worn maroon and gold. His 53 rushing touchdowns, another gaudy statistic, is also a program record.

Transitioning into coaching, but staying ready just in case

Ibrahim dealt with injuries throughout college. Those injuries, combined with an additional season of eligibility due to COVID shutdowns in 2020, means age (26 y/o) isn’t on his side. But in the event an NFL team does come calling, Ibrahim is staying ready.

“I’m in the coaching lifestyle right now. I’m here all day, around the building, having fun. I’m still in the playbook, still learning plays. I’m still in that football mindset just waiting on that call.”

Mo Ibrahim on his current mindset with football (Fox 9)

In the Vikings final preseason game, the Gophers legend carried the ball four times for 16 yards, in purple. Ibrahim is unlikely to get another NFL shot, at this point, so it’s very possible Mo’s new coaching job with his alma mater becomes more of a permanent gig.

Mohamed Ibrahim got into one NFL game last year, with the Detroit Lions. Unfortunately, teams have been hesitant to give him any real run. If the end of his playing career is actually here, there are few better players for Darius Taylor to learn from than our guy, Mo.

DARIUS TAYLOR CANNOT BE STOPPED 🏃‍♂️

His 3️⃣rd TD of the day is an 80-yard rushing TD 💨#B1GFootball on @BigTenNetwork 📺 pic.twitter.com/lso5BHrt9m

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) September 14, 2024

Related: What We Learned About the Gophers in Week 3 Stomping of Nevada

Iowa comes to Huntington Bank Stadium on Saturday night for a rivalry game with the Gophers. P.J. Fleck brought in a couple of running back transfers, and each can learn something from Ibrahim. Marcus Major started the year with Taylor on the shelf. He has continued to rotate in and the former Sooners product looks like a solid back.

Flawless 29-yard TD pass by Max Brosmer to Le'Meke Brockington to put Minnesota up by 31. 🤌

📺 Peacock | @GopherFootball pic.twitter.com/es9g0k6IpS

— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) September 7, 2024

For the Gophers to win on Saturday they will need to control the pace. Max Brosmer gives Fleck an opportunity to use a quarterback of the caliber he has not previously had. You can bet the running game will look to provide plenty of the heavy lifting.

Related: Minnesota Gophers Legend Should See His Role in LA Expand Big Time

Minnesota enters conference play with a 2-1 record. The North Carolina loss was largely self-inflicted and the Gophers are looking to make noise in the newly-constructed Big Ten.

Last season, the Minnesota Vikings were not good on the ground. That’s why they signed Aaron Jones in the offseason, to head a group that should provide a lot more value. Ty Chandler is very capable, and Kene Nwangwu looks like a legitimate third option.

Minnesota Gophers star Mo Ibrahim joins Vikings running back room

And against the Eagles, on Saturday, the most prolific running back in Dinkytown history, Mo Ibrahim, will wear a purple jersey and horned helmet, too

Vikings are signing former Minnesota RB Mo Ibrahim, per Matt Leist of LAA.

— Kevin Seifert (@SeifertESPN) August 22, 2024

The former Minnesota Gophers running back went undrafted out of college and played one game last season with the Detroit Lions. He has never recorded a professional carry, but did return a kick for 22 yards a year ago. A hip injury ended his season.

As a Gopher, Ibraham tallied 4,668 yards, most in University history. He surpassed 1,000 yards in three separate seasons and racked up a whopping 53 touchdowns, also the most in program history.

Related: Will Darius Taylor Play in Minnesota Gophers Opener?

Ibrahim will be 26-years-old this season. He spent five seasons in college, in seven years, after dealing with injuries and a redshirt season. When healthy, Mo was one of the best workhorse running backs in college football.

What role does Minnesota Gophers Ibrahim play for Vikings?

It seems highly unlikely that the Minnesota Vikings will carry four running backs. Ibrahim is behind Jones, Chandler and Nwangwu. He presents a practice squad option though, and could vault himself ahead of both Myles Gaskin and DeWayne McBride. As things stand, C.J. Ham is expected to be the fourth running option on the roster.

Was great running into #Gophers legend Mo Ibrahim at @thetrainingHAUS this week. He's doing well after suffering a season-ending hip injury with the Lions last year. A free agent now, he should be in camp with someone soon. pic.twitter.com/wpdtjI8A1V

— Darren Wolfson (@DWolfsonKSTP) July 17, 2024

Ibrahim gives the Vikings a different look than both Gaskin and McBride provide. The former Gophers star is a true between the tackles runner, and he has an incredible amount of strength when in space. Gaskin will likely look to latch on elsewhere, and McBride may not be developing to the extent that Minnesota expected.

Related: Gophers Stack Running Back Room with Michigan State Transfer

There’s no reason to believe Ibrahim will have a prominent role with Minnesota, but seeing him wear a Vikings uniform on gameday would be a fun full circle moment.

Last weekend did not go as planned for the Minnesota Gophers football team. Michigan came to an empty TCF Bank Stadium and stomped a Minnesota team that was riddled with COVID absences (not that it would have mattered). But at least we aren’t the 2020 Maryland Terrapins, who lost 43-3 vs the Northwestern Wildcats. Yeah, that Northwestern.

That’s win No. 100 for @NUFBFamily coach Pat Fitzgerald.

Highlights from the victory against Maryland: pic.twitter.com/FDNydnf0Lt

— Northwestern On BTN (@NUOnBTN) October 25, 2020

Earlier in the week, I targeted the four areas PJ Fleck and Co needed to fix most, after that ugly Michigan loss.. but I’m not sure how much it will matter against this week’s opponent.

Not all Tagovailoa’s are created equally.

When watching back the MD vs NW game, there are a couple things that stick out… Maryland can’t stop the run and Tua’s brother, TAULIA TAGOVAILOA, kinda sucks.

At least he did last week. He was overthrowing dudes and under-throwing others. Balls were going into double coverage and getting picked off. Watching it back, it’s hard to believe this kid has the same blood flowing through his veins, as the guy who started as a Freshman at Alabama and is about to take over as a rookie for the Dolphins..

Taulia finished the game vs Northwestern, 14/25 with 3 interceptions. His backup came in and went 4/4, after he was pulled. Remember, Tagovailoa transferred into Maryland because he couldn’t hack it at Alabama.

It’s possible that last week was just 1st-game jitters but the turnaround would have to be drastic, just for him to get back to average. I don’t see everything suddenly clicking one week later.

Mo Ibrahim set to go off…

There was one bright spot to the Minnesota offense last week and it was their running game. The zone attack worked vs Michigan all night long and OC Mike Sanford used it for chunk plays, even in the second half when the Gophers were down big.

Mo Ibrahim finished with 140 yards and 2 touchdowns against a Michigan front seven that makes Maryland’s look like they’re walking off the JV bus. I’m not sure this Terrapin team is any better than the 2019 squad, which finished 1-8 in the Big Ten.

Minnesota stomped on Maryland last season, to the tune of 52-10. The running game was ELITE, going for 321 yards and 4 touchdowns on 52 carries. All running backs were healthy that week, something that didn’t happen often last season, so it was a group effort.

In Friday’s matchup, the bulk of those carries will go to Mohamed Ibrahim and I expect him to do big things with them. In 1995, a Gopher running back named Chris Darkins ran for 294 yards vs the Purdue Boilermakers, setting a University of Minnesota record that is yet to be broken 25 years later. I’m not ruling that total out for Mo on Friday night, especially if he can get loose for a big one that goes 70-80 at some point in the night.

When the dust settles in College Park tonight, I expect the Minnesota Gophers to win big. If Northwestern can beat Maryland by 40, then so can we.

Final — Minnesota: 48 | Maryland: 7

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

PJ Fleck and the Minnesota Gophers dodged a bullet Wednesday, when the Big Ten announced the reinstatement of their fall football season. After a month + of uncertainty, the season will now begin on the weekend of Oct. 23-24. It will be a conference-only, eight — possibly nine — game schedule.

The Gophers were coming into this year hot and ready to continue their surge up the Big Ten ladder, and across the college football world. They finished last season with an 11-2 record, capping off a stunning year with a bowl game win against Auburn.

They ended last season ranked No. 10 in the nation and came into 2020 ranked No. 18. The entire Minnesota offensive line is returning to help protect Tanner Morgan and open holes for Mo Ibrahim.

247Sports Likes Minnesota in the West

There’s a lot to feel good about in Dinkytown. Just ask Brandon Marcello of 247Sports.com, who picked the Gophers as the only team who will challenge Wisconsin this season, for the Big Ten West crown.

West

1. Wisconsin

2. Minnesota

3. Iowa

Full Rankings

……

Minnesota stands to be contender for a second straight year, but the Gophers suffered a big punch in the gut when receiver Rashod Bateman (1,219 yards and 11 touchdowns) opted out of the season in early August to prepare for the NFL Draft. Minnesota still has a game-changing quarterback (Tanner Morgan) and six returning starters on defense.

Eight starters return to the Big Ten’s third-best scoring offense (34.1 points per game), and only Ohio State scored more touchdowns (88 vs. 62) in 2019. Minnesota was actually better in conference games (34.6 ppg).

It was difficult placing Wisconsin over Minnesota in June, but not so much today. The Badgers’ defensive line and the fact they are expected to host the Gophers is more than enough to give Wisconsin the No. 1 spot in the West.

Brandon Marcello – 247Sports.com

Who is leading the way?

Morgan came off an outstanding second year where he threw for 3,253 yards along with 30 TDs while completing 66% of his throws. He was ranked fifth by PFF among all quarterbacks going into this season.

Morgan is going to have a lot on his plate coming into this condensed season. Expectations are high for the Junior but he doesn’t have nearly the same weapons around him.

Reloaded Offensive Arsenal

Losing Bateman is going to be a hit on offense, but if you have to replace a guy like that, Chris Autman-Bell and Demetrius Douglas are very viable options to turn to. Obviously, the WR group takes a step back from the one-two punch it had in 2019 (with Tyler Johnson and Bateman) but both redshirt juniors showed what they were capable of last year.

Mohamed Ibrahim is poised for a huge redshirt junior season, after Rodney Smith FINALLY graduated in the offseason. He has been a big part to the offense for a couple years now, especially in the Outback Bowl game last season, and now has the number one spot to himself.

Mohamed Ibrahim (@_MoIbrahim) is a name to watch next season. He’s wildly underrated. He’s so difficult to tackle and should have a great season with Minnesota as their featured back in 2020. He was great against Auburn #RowTheBoat #SkiUMah #GoGophers #Minnesota #NFL #NFLTwitter pic.twitter.com/wTKRrycxL9

— Jared Barsness NFL (@JaredBarsNFL) May 23, 2020

The offense will rely heavy on the run-pass option again, even after some major changes at offensive coordinator. That scheme is only as successful as its run game. Ibrahim, along with his stable of backups in Bryce Williams, Cam Wiley, Ky Thomas, and Trey Potts, will need to have success for this offense to go.

If there is any coach in football who cares more about time of possession than PJ Fleck, please find him/her for me. If PJ and his revamped offense can take control of games on the ground, we already know Morgan reads the Run/Pass Option as good as any QB in the NCAA.

New Defense

The biggest questions the Minnesota Gophers have, coming into this season, is on the defensive side of the ball. It’s almost a complete flip for Joe Rossi’s gang. We’ve already seen how that has worked out for the Vikings. There won’t be any C-level non-conference games for Joe to get them right, either.

When I say “complete flip” I might have been exaggerating slightly. The Gophers do have two starting cornerbacks and a safety returning… That secondary experience could prove to be very important, early in the season, as the rest of the defense settles in.

What if……..

I really believe the Minnesota Gophers dodged a bullet when the Big Ten season was reinstated today. What would’ve happened to some of these stars, had they lost a full year of football?

The Gophers are trying to build off of the only dominant season they’ve had since the 60’s. If they had not been allowed to play this fall, more of their top talent could have walked and who knows what this team would have looked like, when the dust settled.

But we don’t have to worry about that anymore. All of those concerns were put to rest Wednesday, when the Big Ten University Presidents made the right decision and reinstated the fall college football season.

AJ Condon | Minnesota Sports Fan

University of Minnesota running back Mohamed Ibrahim was named a preseason candidate for the Doak Walker Award, Wednesday. The award, which is presented annually to the nation’s top running back, continues a trend of Gophers who are gaining national attention.

Mohamed Ibrahim, who was last seen running all over Auburn (140 yards, 1 TD) in the @OutbackBowl, named a preseason candidate for the @DoakWalkerAward. https://t.co/fd2EV0gcrm#Gophers // #SkiUMah // #RTB pic.twitter.com/lJksSkHPXg

— Minnesota Football (@GopherFootball) July 15, 2020

According to the University of Minnesota, Ibrahim ranks 24th all-time in career rushing with 1,764 yards. This is despite only playing in 21 career games. When you have a 5.58 (7th in school history) yards per carry average, that total will add up quickly.

FINALLY RB1

This has been a long time coming for Ibrahim. After two years of splitting time with Rodney Smith and Shannon Brooks, he’ll finally get his chance to takeover as the undisputed number one back.

Mo’s freshman year showed signs of what he was capable of. He busted out for 1,160 yards (2nd most by a freshman Gopher) and nine touchdowns on only 217 attempts, while filling in for injured Smith and Brooks. That year included five games of 100+ yards, making him the first Gopher to do so since Laurence Maroney in 2003.

#Gophers RB Mohamed Ibrahim is one of the most physical runners you're going to find. If you arm tackle or try to take him on in space, he will make you pay. Ibrahim is a yards after contact king. #LoweringtheBoom pic.twitter.com/vOZJkMSqyc

— Daniel House (@DanielHouseNFL) May 18, 2020

His sophomore campaign “took a step back” because Rodney Smith was back and healthy. Shannon Brooks even made appearances throughout the season. Even when he was playing second and third fiddle, he managed 604 yards and 7 touchdowns on 114 carries. Now that Smith and Brooks have finally run out of eligibility, Ibrahim will get as many carries as he can handle.

Numbers may have slipped in 2019 but he was still critical in helping the Gophers to an 11-2 record. When things mattered the most, PJ Fleck and Co. went to Mo. He rushed for 140 yards and a touchdown in their Outback Bowl win over (#12) Auburn. That only added to his record-breaking bowl game performances. He holds the school record for rushing yards in bowl games, with 364 yards (140 vs. Auburn in 2020; 224 vs. Georgia Tech in 2018).

Expect Mo Ibrahim to become the workhorse back of a potent offense. One that includes quarterback Tanner Morgan (Heisman and O’Brien candidate) and wide receiver Rashod Bateman (Pre-season All-American).

With those three leading the way, the Gophers could crash the College Football Playoff and definitely vy for a Rose Bowl birth, if they can just be the last team standing in the Big Ten West.

Jack Kewitsch | Minnesota Sports Fan

This is a massive game, toward getting to that point, as a program. Fans are still holding their collective breaths, as we wait to see more out of a team that barely made it out of non-conference play unscathed. A convincing win would change the entire narrative on the season, with Illinois coming to TCF Bank Stadium next week, into another home game vs the most overrated Nebraska team in program history.

The key to beating Purdue comes in the trenches on both sides of the ball. 

Shannon Brooks will make his return this week and that easily makes the Gopher backfield the most talented in all of college football but I’d argue they were near the top, even before his return. The key to the running game doesn’t lie within Brooks’ return. It lies within this offensive line, which has looked vastly overrated, early on.

Sure, they are young, they are MASSIVE, and they are likely to keep improving. That’s definitely the bright side. But, we need to see some noticeable improvement right now, out of this O-line, because their size hasn’t equated to results yet this season, vs NON-Big Ten defensive adversaries. It’s been ugly.

The Gophers are currently sitting at 90th in the nation, with 119.5 Rush YPG. Last year, we averaged 171.2 per game, with a lot of the same guys. Hopefully that’s some hope we can grasp onto because their 2019 Yards/Carry isn’t… they rank even worse there (124th in nation) with 2.2 YPC…. Only 5 teams in FBS rank lower. But just like with YPG, they were way better last year (4.3 YPC)…. so… hope?

At this point, we know what we have at RB, WR, and QB. Our skill positions are stacked and Tanner Morgan is more than equipped to handle an offense as loaded as this one. In fact, the more room the offensive line can give this running game, the better Tanner Morgan will be, because when we need Tanner Morgan to come through in clutch time, he’ll be there. But, the less you have to put on his shoulders throughout the course of the game, the better he will be as the game unfolds. He’s an elite game manager with a twinkle in his eye for big time moments. In other words, the Vikings should call him up for Sunday……….

via GIPHY

Defensively, the focus is on the Boilermakers’ now healthy (they hope — he’s questionable but expected to play) QB, Elijah Sindelar, and their standout Sophomore WR, Rondale Moore.

Sindelar was injured last week but put up over 900 YDS, 9 TD’s, and just 3 INT’s in weeks 1 and 2. Moore is looking like one of the WR greats in Purdue history with just 1.3 seasons in the books. He went for 114 REC, 1258 YDS, and 14 TD’s in his Freshman season and has 369 YDS and 2 TD’s in 2019.

But, we have what should be a smothering secondary, led by Antoine Winfield Jr. and they get to face WR’s, as good as Rondale Moore, everyday in practice with Tyler Johnson, Rashod Bateman, and others. I’d be shocked if Moore has a monster game. But if he does, it will likely be on the front-7, rather than the back-4.

PJ Fleck has touted Jim Panagos as a major hire at defensive line. He glowed aboout him at Big Ten Media Day and he raved about him at early media gatherings, before putting Jim at the podium to hit us with his enthusiasm. He’s a great guy and coaches with the type of fire that PJ loves. The results so far though, have been mixed.

We’ve faced 3 new QB’s, that play for underwhelming opponents. The sack percentage looks really good, ranking 17th in the nation but we’re also near the bottom of the NCAA in opponent passer-rating (90th). They’ve allowed offenses to march down the field at times, but have also stepped up and gotten big stops, in big moments. You also can’t discount the triple-option offense they went up against vs Georgia Southern, since they never really threw the ball, period. So far vs the run, they’ve been dominant, ranking in the top-25 in both YPG and YPC.

In other words, there is a lot we still need to find out about this defensive line vs the pass game. If the Minnesota front-4 can keep Sindelar uncomfortable without needing to blitz a ton, it’ll be hard for him to find Moore, with our secondary/linebacker group.

I think we will see a different Gophers team than what we have so far. I want to see some wrinkles on offense and defense, that we haven’t seen in non-conference play. Hopefully, that will lead to some running backs breaking free. If we can get that part of the offense rolling, I think the defense will handle itself, and the Gophers will walk away with this one handily, 31-20.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Entering 2018, the Minnesota Gophers were ready to put their offense on Rodney Smith’s shoulders and ride the workhorse back to as many victories as possible before he ran into the NFL like some of the legendary Gopher running backs before him… but that’s not the way the year ended up. In fact, it ended just 1+ games after it got started.

Smith rushed for 156 yards on 24 carries vs. New Mexico State in the season opener before getting only 2 carries the next week vs Fresno State, before blowing out his knee… Another knee injury vs. Indiana would end Shannon Brooks’ 2019 too. PJ Fleck, Kirk Ciarrocca, and Co. had no choice but to turn to Mohamed Ibrahim, a redshirt Freshman, who wasn’t supposed to see much of the field at all in 2018, let alone be thrust into a starting spot.

Gopher fans weren’t sure what to think at that point… RB was supposed to be the most secure position on the offense… but after finding his footing and working through some of his own minor injuries, Mohamed Ibrahim proved RB was still a position of strength, even with an offensive line that had plenty of its own consistency issues.  Mo finished the season with 1160 yards and 9 TD’s in just 10 games played.

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So with a healthy Rodney Smith now back in play after a 2018 medical redshirt cleared one more season for him, I asked PJ Fleck on Sunday afternoon, what we can expect the backfield split to look like vs SDSU and here’s what PJ said: “I think Rodney and Mohamad will take the majority of the carries early, and then we’ll see how it goes from there.”

My own expert opinion on who will start vs the Jackrabbits? I am yet to attend a practice where Mohamed Ibrahim doesn’t take first snaps with the 1’s. With just a few days left to change my mind, I’d be a bit surprised to see #1 trot onto the field before #24, on Thursday.

But no matter who starts the game, it’s clear that Mo and Rodney are RB1 and RB1A. PJ wants to rotate as many backs in as each game calls for, though and won’t hesitate to stretch the depth in his backfield. He’s hoping the game Thursday vs the Jackrabbits calls for a lot of different running backs seeing carries. “We do have the ability to play Bryce [Williams] in situations that make him really, really good, and then we kind of go from there. You’ve got Trey Potts ready. You’ve got Cam Wiley ready… I’m not afraid to put them in the game. You might see them in the first quarter, depending on how the game is going and what we are having success with.”

In other words, whoever has success is going to see the ball and hopefully we are having enough success that we are rotating guys in, to stay fresh. When you’re facing an FCS team, even one as good as SDSU, you are hoping to outmuscle up front and move the ball consistently on the ground.

With an improving offensive line and a bevy of running back talent, the Gophers should be able to grind the ball consistently all season… as long as the backfield can stay healthy, which as we found out last season, is far from a guarantee.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Here is PJ’s full press conference from yesterday (I ask about the RB split at the 05:05 mark)

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