Treyson Potts News - MinnesotaSportsFan https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/tag/treyson-potts/ Minnesota sports, but different Tue, 16 Apr 2024 08:00:27 +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 Treyson Potts News - MinnesotaSportsFan https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/tag/treyson-potts/ 32 32 Gophers’ Trey Potts, Michael Brown-Stephens Enter Transfer Portal https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/trey-potts-michael-brown-stephens-enter-transfer-portal/ Mon, 13 Mar 2023 20:30:04 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=42040 The transfer portal giveth and the transfer portal taketh away. On Monday, according to On3.com, it took (RB) Trey Potts and (WR) Michael Brown-Stephens from the Minnesota Gophers.

Goodbye Trey Potts

Trey Potts served as a backup for Mohamed Ibrahim during most of his career in Dinkytown. But when Ibrahim went down with an achilles injury in 2021, Potts grabbed his moment and ran with it… for 552 yards and 6 touchdowns on 112 carries (4.9 YPC).

Unfortunately, his career was plagued by injuries as well. Potts only got to play 5 sensational games in 2021 because he suffered a career threatening injury vs Purdue. Against all odds, he came back to rejoin the team in 2022. Once again, Trey found himself behind Mo on the depth chart but he stayed healthy, finishing with 471 yards on 101 carries (4.7 YPC). Potts has one season of eligibility left.

Goodbye Michael Brown-Stephens

Michael Brown-Stephens had an up and down career in maroon and gold, as well. He got a lot of playing time over the last two seasons as a sophomore and junior. Problem was, he didn’t produce much.

For a lot of his career, MBS has served as the main deep threat on roster for PJ Fleck, mostly out of necessity because Chris Autman-Bell was dealt with injuries for most of the past two seasons. Unfortunately, he didn’t fair as well as PJ Fleck had hoped. In the last two seasons combined, Brown-Stephens caught less than 50 total passes for less than 1,000 yards and just 1 touchdown.

Writing was on the wall

Both Trey Potts and Michael Brown-Stephens saw the writing on the wall. With incoming transfer talents (RB) Sean Tyler and (WR) Corey Crooms entering the fold and youngsters already on roster ready to step up, playing time was going to be hard to come by.

Some transfer portal losses hurt more than others and, while the portal entries of Potts and Brown-Stephens certainly may hurt at some points, this seems to be one of those scenarios where the Minnesota Gophers upgraded more than they downgraded through the portal at both positions.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

]]> Mon, 13 Mar 2023 15:30:07 +0000 Minnesota Gophers Football 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 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 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

]]> Fri, 24 Sep 2021 21:56:02 +0000 Minnesota Gophers Football Gophers Have a New Three-Headed Monster at Running Back https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/gophers-have-a-new-three-headed-monster-at-running-back/ Sat, 18 Sep 2021 20:53:52 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=36303 The Colorado Buffaloes defense was being propped up all over the country after holding the #5 Texas A&M Aggies to just 10 total points last weekend. They had only given up 117 rushing yards total over the course of their first two games. But, as I wrote about earlier in the week, I expected the Minnesota Gophers running game to prove the Buffaloes defense as overrated.

And that’s exactly what happened. It started, unsurprisingly, with a lot of Trey Potts. He looks better and better every time he takes the field and that progression continued today. Minnesota dominated time of possession and their defense held Colorado’s stagnant offense to an incredible 63 total yards and 0 points.

This is what you call a blowout, ladies and gentlemen.

3-Headed Monster?

Potts finished with 26 carries, 121 yards and 3 touchdowns. But PJ Fleck and the offensive coaching staff talked earlier in the week about getting other running backs involved on Saturday vs Colorado, to take some of the load off of Potts. So after redshirt Junior, Bryce Williams, fumbled his first carry early in the game, Fleck turned to true Freshman, Mar’Keise “Bucky” Irving, who immediately electrified the CU football field.

The two of them, along with some well timed Tanner Morgan completions, had Colorado questioning their existence as a football program. Redshirt Freshman running back, Ky Thomas, got in on the action late and looked great too.

It’s clear that the Minnesota Gophers have a bright future at running back. That’s something we’ve covered at Minnesota Sports Fan since Ky Thomas and Bucky Irving committed in 2019 and 2020, respectively. And after 2021 Mohamed Ibrahim dropped out with an injury after week one, I knew it was only a matter of time before we saw those two guys emerge from the fray.

Mar’Keise Irving

A true Freshman and former 4-star recruit, Bucky is a homerun threat every time he touches the ball and he’s impossible to bring down for such a small dude. He’s only 18 years old so as he gets bigger and builds out, he’ll only get better. That should scare opposing Big Ten West teams. Irving got a lot of carries while Saturday was still a game and held a better YPC average than Potts did. He’s clearly the new RB2.

Ky Thomas

Entering the season, I expected redshirt Freshman Ky Thomas (another 4-star recruit) to be ahead of Irving on the depth chart but it’s possible that (a) Bucky is that good and (b) Thomas is still climbing his way back from shoulder surgeryhe had last year.

But Thomas finally got some run in the 4th quarter Saturday. The game was decided, when he entered, but Ky didn’t care, running over just about every defender he came in contact with. His 9.4 YPC average (on 7 carries) tells a pretty good story. He also got in the endzone.

Three is better than one

It’s hard to say how touches will get divided for these running backs, going forward. We know Trey Potts is still the RB1 but it’s clear that Fleck has at least three guys who can cut up a football field in chunks. He wasn’t sure of that when they flew into Boulder.

So while winning this game was huge and obviously the #1 positive to take out of Saturday, multiplying the backfield by three trustworthy backs will pay dividends when Big Ten play resumes.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

]]> Sun, 19 Sep 2021 10:00:16 +0000 Minnesota Gophers Football Trey Potts is That Dude But He Can’t Be The Only Dude https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/trey-potts-is-that-dude-but-he-cant-be-the-only-dude/ Mon, 13 Sep 2021 19:11:09 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=36236 Minnesota Gophers head coach, PJ Fleck, needed someone to step up last weekend, after his team lost Mohamed Ibrahim to a season-ending leg injury the week before. Most of us, myself included, thought he’d turn to more of a platoon-style backfield during Saturday’s matchup vs the Miami (OH) Redhawks. But then, Tanner Morgan started handing the ball off to RS Sophomore Trey Potts… and just never stopped.

By the time it was over, the game score was closer than the Gophers had hoped and there was only one back who PJ Fleck trusted with the football. Still, they got the win, which is all that matters in football. And Treyson Potts, from Williamsport (PA), looked like the next big time Gopher running back.

How HEAVILY did PJ Fleck lean on Trey Potts? Whether it was planned or not entering the weekend, Potts carried the football 34 times and produced big numbers, running for 178 yards and 2 touchdowns, averaging 5.2 yards per carry. When asked about his workload after the game, Potts responded, “if that’s what it took, that’s what it took”.

Too much Potts?

Treyson Potts delivered vs the Redhawks in a way that I’m not even sure the Gopher coaching staff expected. But once he started taking carries, it quickly became clear that Trey was going to be that dude, going forward. Offensive Coordinator, Mike Sanford, likes having a bell-cow type running backs and once Potts got in a groove, neither Sanford or Fleck wanted to take the rock out of his hands.

That’s understandable but probably not the best route going forward. In retrospect, the Minnesota Gophers shouldn’t have to run their #1 back 34 times to squeak out a win over a MAC opponent like Miami (OH). In fact, they should have multiple running backs on roster who can rack up yards on non-power-five opponents. So, if PJ Fleck doesn’t have confidence in his current #2 and #3 backs, then it’s time to look toward the next crop of young studs.

In other words, if Cam Wiley or Bryce Williams can’t help move the sticks when called upon (about 10 times per game total), then it’s time to push them down the depth chart. We know the two freshmen, Ky Thomas and Mar’Keise “Bucky” Irving will eventually be a one-two punch that nobody in the Big Ten will want to deal with.

It might be time to preview the future, even if just to spell the new RB1, Trey Potts.

Fleck agrees

PJ spoke with media on Monday morning and agreed that other backs need to see more of the field, going forward. We’ll see if that’s how he feels when he’s in the heat of the moment this Saturday in Colorado and going forward.

“Trey did a really good job in the game. I thought he had a really good game. But again, we need some more guys to step in and play well, to take some of those carries off of him and rotate some guys, which we will as we go forward.”

PJ Fleck

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

]]> Mon, 13 Sep 2021 14:11:13 +0000 Minnesota Gophers Football Four Takeaways From the Gophers Way-Too-Close Victory Over Miami (OH) https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/four-takeaways-from-the-gophers-way-too-close-victory-over-miami-oh/ Sat, 11 Sep 2021 20:30:27 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=36229 It was a beautiful Saturday morning in Minneapolis, MN and 40,000+ packed into Huntington Bank Stadium to watch the Minnesota Gophers play against the Miami (OH) Redhawks for an 11 AM kickoff. After a slow start, Tanner Morgan, Trey Potts and Dylan Wright took over the first half.

But after grabbing a commanding 21-3 halftime lead, the Gophers came out for the second half as a shell of themselves. Miami (OH) mounted a comeback in the third quarter that would eventually pull them within a point (21-20). Still, Minnesota was able to stabilize their defense enough to ride Trey Potts to an eventual 31-26 victory that was WAY too close for comfort.

Here’s what I took away from the win.

1. Trey Potts is the new RB1

After Mohamed Ibrahim went down for the season with a leg injury vs Ohio State, we thought the Gopher offense would turn to a timeshare backfield that would feature at least three backs. Saturday, Fleck and Sanford proved us wrong. Potts took 20 of the 22 handoffs in the first half and continued as the obvious bell-cow back in the 2nd half.

Potts’ performance was one of the only positives to come out of Saturday’s game. Even behind a line that didn’t manhandle MAC competition like they should have, Trey battled for every yard and looked very good doing it. PJ Fleck rode him to victory, too.

How about these numbers?

2. Tanner Morgan looked good… in the first half

Tanner Morgan looked a lot like his 2019 self in the first half of this football game, throwing for 112 yards and 2 touchdowns on 8/11 passing. The 2nd half was not as fruitful, however. Morgan thrived off of passes to Texas A&M transfer, Dylan Wright, in the first half.

But Tanner’s first pass of the 2nd half threw Wright into a big hit and #16 on offense never returned to the game. That could have been a reason for Morgan’s back-half struggles. But with or without your top target, going 0/6 for 0 yards is never acceptable. This should have been a game that sent Tanner Morgan into another QB stratosphere. Instead, he faltered down the stretch and helped turn a blowout into a nail-biter.

So questions about Morgan’s ability will continue for at least another week.

3. Dylan Wright is the real deal

As mentioned before, we didn’t see much of new transfer wide receiver, Dylan Wright in the 2nd half, after he left the game with an injury early in the 3rd quarter. Morgan was never the same and it’s become clear that Wright is someone PJ Fleck and Co will rely heavily on, even after Chris Autman-Bell returns to the field.

Even after the passing offense came to a complete halt in the 2nd half, Wright finished the game with 73 yards and a touchdown on 3 catches. He now has 130 yards and 2 touchdowns on the season. Tanner Morgan has only thrown for 317 yards and 3 touchdowns total, on the season.

4. No pressure from new look D-line

The entire defense struggled in the second half but the defensive line rode the struggle bus all game and failed to apply any pressure against a MAC Miami (OH) team that gave up 2 sacks and 5 TFL’s to Cincinnati last week. If they can’t bring pressure vs lesser opponents, we should be very concerned about what they’ll do when Big Ten play starts back up.

There were a lot of positives to take away from the week 1 Ohio State game but defensive pressure wasn’t one of them. That clearly continued this week vs Miami (OH). If Joe Rossi can’t find a way to bring more pressure, it’s going to be a long season.

A win is a win…

At the end of the day, a victory counts no matter how much you win by and the 2019 Minnesota Gophers proved that when they turned way too close victories vs SDSU, Fresno State and Georgia Southern into an 11-2 Outback Bowl success story.

A successful 2021 will clearly rely on the same types of improvement.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

]]> Tue, 16 Apr 2024 03:00:27 +0000 Minnesota Gophers Football Without Ibrahim, Gophers Could Turn to Young 4-Star Talent Over Veteran Depth and Security https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/without-ibrahim-gophers-could-turn-to-young-4-star-talent-over-veteran-depth-and-security/ Mon, 06 Sep 2021 19:12:18 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=36130 The bad news we expected to hear regarding Mohamed Ibrahim’s leg injury from Thursday night was delivered to media members on Monday morning by Minnesota Gophers head coach, PJ Fleck. You don’t have to be a doctor to see that Mo’s injury is likely achilles-related but there are blue checkmark doctors on Twitter who have diagnosed as much and more.

It’s a big blow for the 2021 Gophers and even scarier for Ibrahim’s future.

Next man up?

If there’s one football phrase that’ll continue to ring true no matter how long you beat the football’s dead horse of phrases, it’s “next man up”. That’s the case in Mo’s absence too and Minnesota’s coaching staff has prepped quite the running back room for this worst-case scenario. The depth and talent remaining behind him should leave Minnesota fans feeling optimistic about their run game. I’m more concerned about Ibrahim’s future… but that’s for another blog.

How the depth chart lines up behind Mo isn’t as cut and dry as what coaches have led on. PJ has spent most of his time touting the abilities of the upperclassmen backups, specifically (RS SO) Treyson Potts, (RS SO) Cam Wiley and (RS JR) Bryce Williams.

Those backs have more experience and have easily taken most of the snaps Ibrahim hasn’t, since 2019. But that doesn’t mean they have what it takes to be the star running back this offense is based upon. Minnesota does have that type of talent at their disposal, however. It’s just younger and less experienced.

  • Bryce Williams – RS Junior – 140 CAR | 541 YDS | 6 TD | 3.9 YPC
  • Cam Wiley – RS Sophomore – 43 CAR | 215 YDS | 1 TD | 5.0 YPC
  • Trey Potts – RS Sophomore – 36 CAR | 206 YDS | 2 TD | 5.7 YPC
  • Ky Thomas – RS Freshman – 0 CAR | 0 YDS | 0 TD
  • Mar’Keise Irving – Freshman – 0 CAR | 0 YDS | 0TD

Youth Movement

(RS FR) Ky Thomas is a former Kansas Gatorade Player of the Year (2019) and (FR) Mar’Keise Irving was an Illinois All-State running back in 2020 who came in with an even higher 247Sports composite recruit rating (.8932) than Thomas (.8863).

If you still don’t believe Thomas has the talent to be an elite back in the Big Ten, just watch his high school highlight film. Unless he’s playing against 4th graders (he played at one of the largest high schools in Kansas — Topeka) he’d be abusing competition playing outside the power 5.

Mar’Keise “Bucky” Irving’s Hudl looks like a lot of the same. But Bucky doesn’t have the two years of a University of Minnesota meal plan or a high level division I weight room and it shows when you see them up close. Thomas has built himself into one of the bigger backs in the Gopher RB room. Physically, you can certainly tell that Bucky is a true freshman. He just looks a lot smaller than the others.

What happens next?

I expect Trey Potts, Cam Wiley and Bryce Williams to get the majority of carries this weekend vs Miami (OH) but I’d be surprised if we don’t see Ky Thomas get his own handful too. If that’s the case, we’ll see who eats up more yardage, who looks better doing it and who can take care of the football. Because that part matters to Fleck more than anything.

“The ball is the program” is something you will hear echoed a lot if you hang around the Minnesota Gophers football team. From here, we’ll see if the three upperclassmen running backs can show us “bell-cow” abilities we haven’t seen out of them yet or if an underclassman like Ky Thomas can jump up and steal the job before we get back into Big Ten play in a few weeks.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

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