Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck opened his weekly press conference Monday with injury news about a Gophers’ running back for the third time this season. This time he announced that Bryce Williams will likely miss the rest of the season due to a lower leg injury.

“Bryce [Williams] will not be available this week, he did get hurt, it looks like it will be season-ending,” Fleck said.

Williams joins Mohamed Ibrahim and Trey Potts as the third Minnesota running back to have their season cut short due to injury.

“It’s unfortunate, it’s one of those years that’s kinda got us right now,” Fleck said. “It’s next man up.”

Ibrahim suffered an achilles tendon injury in the season opener against Ohio State, while Potts’ season was ended due to an undisclosed injury after nearly a week long hospital stay following the Oct. 2 game at Purdue.

Williams’ 37 carries, for 186 yards and three touchdowns this season, will be seriously missed from a running back position that is now desperately lacking depth.

True freshman Mar’Keise “Bucko” Irving and redshirt-freshman Ky Thomas continue to flourish in their added opportunities, but they are now the only two healthy scholarship running backs on the Gophers’ roster.

After recording 19 carries for 110 yards and two touchdowns against Northwestern, Irving was named Big Ten Co-Freshman of the week. Thomas added 106 rushing yards against the Wildcats, on 21 carries. It was the second consecutive week that Irving and Thomas both totaled 100 yards or more on the ground.

Irving and Thomas will likely continue to dominate the majority of touches from the running back position, but there is always the fear of another injury to the position.

With no other scholarship running back on the roster, the Gophers looked to redshirt sophomore linebacker Derik LeCaptain as a replacement. Highlighted by a terrific 24 yard touchdown run, the former high school running back totaled three carries and 31 yards against Northwestern.

Originally from Gardner, Wis., LeCaptain amassed 5,199 career rushing yards, a Wisconsin state record and added 100 career touchdowns throughout his high school career. Standing at 6-feet-2-inches, he will now likely receive more opportunities at the running back position this season after earning his first career carries against the Wildcats.

“Everybody is on deck, I told the entire team if any of you have ever carried a ball, in any part of your career, if you have a picture of a button from the YMCA league with a ball in your hand, you are going to be available to possibly run the ball for us this year,” Fleck said. “We’re going in, talking to their parents, their aunts and uncles, seeing if they ever did that — diving into some Pop Warner film.”

With redshirt freshman walk-on running back Kendall Moore as the only other healthy true running back on the roster, there is always an opportunity for the Gophers to move other players away from their current position to running back.

“Yes we will, who, I am not going to tell you that,” Fleck said. “We already have, you got a chance to see one of them, we did two weeks ago with another. This has been a contingency plan for four or five weeks now.”

For the 23rd time in his career, Conner Olson was slated to start at left guard for the Gophers against Maryland. It marked the 52nd consecutive overall start of his career. His record-breaking day did not start out exactly perfect, as he slipped and fell on the first play of the game.

“I like to play like a kid, as they say, so sometimes that’s on the ground,” Olson said with a smile.

His 52nd career start broke a record previously held by long snapper Payton Jordahl, who played for the Gophers from 2015-18. Olson has been a versatile offensive lineman throughout his career, with 15 starts at center, 14 at right guard and now 23 at left guard, where he has played this season.

“It’s just another game. We’ve got a handful more,” Olson said. “It’s cool to get that record, and I hope I break that record again next week. I’m not going to get too focused on that just yet. It’s more so about the team than the individual record.”

Olson and the rest of Minnesota’s offensive line did just that: They put together another dominant performance, which resulted in 326 total rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns. They protected Tanner Morgan at a high level, allowing zero Maryland sacks.

Minnesota relied heavily on their veteran offensive line and running game in the second half. With 23 consecutive run plays to end the game, it is sometimes a dream come true for offensive linemen like Olson.

“It’s a credit to the entire unit to be able to go out there and finish the game in that fashion,” Olson said. “Our running backs definitely instill a lot of confidence in the run game, and when you’ve got [tight end] Ko Kieft on the edge, you always feel pretty good out there. It was a good way to end the game. From an offensive lineman’s standpoint, I always prefer to running it to passing it — no offense to Tanner [Morgan].”

The Gophers’ pair of young running backs had breakout performances against the Terrapins. Redshirt freshman Ky Thomas finished with 21 carries for 139 rushing yards and a touchdown, while freshman Mar’kiese “Bucko” Irving added 15 carries for 105 yards and a touchdown of his own.

The offensive line is a position group often overlooked by the average football fan, and Thomas and Irving’s breakout performances could not have happened without the dominant day from Olson and the rest of the Gophers’ offensive line.

“I had the best seat in the house,” Gophers quarterback Tanner Morgan said. “It was very dominant, being able to see those guys execute every single play.”

Olson is one of four redshirt seniors and five seniors overall to start Minnesota along the offensive line. The veteran group has played like one of the best in the country this season, resulting in the 24th most rushing yards in the country this season, averaging 210 per contest. The group has also been quite effective when it comes to pass-blocking, allowing the 19th fewest sacks in the country, with only nine this season.

With an average size of nearly 6-feet-6-inches and 330 pounds, the Gophers have one of the most physically imposing and veteran offensive lines in the country

“Just because you’re big doesn’t make you good,” Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck said. “We have a very experienced group up front.”

Originally from Monticello, Minn., Olson’s record-breaking day encapsulates what has been a remarkable season for Minnesota’s offensive line.

Teams have struggled to run the ball against the Gophers defense this season. They are allowing the sixth-fewest rushing yards per game this season at 86.8.

As a transfer from FCS program Abilene Christian, many didn’t know what to expect from Jack Gibbens in his first season playing Big Ten football.

“Everybody on an FCS school wants to prove they can play at this level,” Gibbens said.

After recording 258 tackles, seven sacks and five interceptions in his four year career with the Wildcats, his production hasn’t dropped with the Gophers.

“He fits perfectly with us — the program, the culture, the system,” Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck said. “He’s a really, really, really good football player.”

Gibbens currently leads the entire Gophers’ defense with 38 total tackles this season, while his three pass deflections and one forced fumble are also tied for best on the team.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NCAA granted every college football player an additional year of eligibility, and Gibbens took advantage. Jumping from the FCS at a school with an enrollment of just under 5,000 people into the Big Ten can be intimidating for some, but Gibbens has fit right in.

“Especially coming from the level I was playing at, we weren’t playing guys that were 350 pounds,” Gibbens said. “That was something that definitely helped, I think, all spring and fall camp just to kind of get ready for this season, was going against those guys every day. They’re big and physical and they get after it, for sure.”

It was a smooth transition for the 6-foot-4-inch linebacker as he started for the Gophers in week one against Ohio State. After playing most of his career in a stadium that holds 12,000 people, a primetime game under the lights in front of a sold out crowd of 50,000 people didn’t faze Gibbens.

“I feel like I’ve been here a long time, and it’s been like nine months,” Gibbens said earlier this season. “These guys kind of accepted me and the other guys that came in with open arms. We just kind of hit the ground running. I think the connectivity of this team made that transition super easy. It’s just a bunch of guys who really care about each other and want to win and want to work.”

Playing at inside linebacker, a dominant defensive line can often make players like Gibbens’ job of bringing down ball carriers that come through the line easier. The Gophers’ group up front has been just that — dominant.

“It’s super fun to play behind those guys,” Gibbens said. “We get to just run over top and try to make tackles because those guys are getting double teamed and holding the line of scrimmage so [opposing offensive linemen] don’t get to the second level.”

After tying his season-high of eight tackles against Nebraska, Gibbens and the Gophers’ run defense held Nebraska’s versatile quarterback Adrian Martinez to a season-low -17 rushing yards.

As a team, the Gophers’ defense entered the 2021 season with a lot of questions. The addition of Gibbens has quickly answered most of them, while creating a group that has begun to dominate football games.

Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck said at a press conference Mondayaddressed the media Monday, saying that he does not expect redshirt-sophomore running back Trey Potts to return to the lineup this season.

“Do I expect him to play the rest of the year? No. And I’m not going to get into the extent of his injury, just like our other players, that’s up for him and his family to be able to talk about,” Fleck said.

Unfortunately for the Gophers, they are familiar with replacing their starting running back. They were tasked with the same issue earlier this year after redshirt senior Mohamed Ibrahim underwent season-ending surgery after week one. Trey Potts had done a terrific job replacing Ibrahim. His 552 rushing yards and six touchdowns on the season , ranked him best on the team.

“It is what it is. Unfortunately, this year we’ve had some guys banged up and they’re really good players,” Fleck said. “Mo [Ibrahim] “had that emotional leadership and Trey [Potts] took over and was building that, to be the guy. Now you kinda dive into that air we’re talking about.”

The Gophers “air” will be an inexperienced group of runners. A quartet of freshman Bucky Irving, redshirt freshman Ky Thomas, redshirt junior Bryce Williams and redshirt sophomore Cam Wiley will be the group that replaces Potts’ production.

“What are you gonna do now? That’s why Bucky [Irving] is here and that’s why Ky Thomas came here, to eventually be the guy — Cam Wiley, Bryce Williams, we have Cole Kramer with the wildcat package,” Fleck said.

Williams leads the healthy running backs with 144 carries and 541 total rushing yards in his career. Wiley is second with 46 carries and 215 career yards.

Minnesota has leaned on its youth at the position this season. In 2021, Irving leads the healthy group with 25 carries and 112 rushing yards, while Thomas is second with seven carries this season for 66 yards and one touchdown.

Gophers offensive coordinator Mike Sanford Jr. has added another wrinkle into the Gophers’ playbook in recent weeks. Redshirt-sophomore Cole Kramer has entered the game as a wildcat quarterback in special situations, which has resulted in 10 carries for 54 yards and a touchdown in the last two games combined, a role that could expand even further in the coming weeks.

“This is not all or nothing in a year,” Fleck said. “These guys are gaining valuable experience not only for now, but for their futures that is incredibly critical for their development, whether they got it in different times of the year or they get it in a starting role, in my opinion it can only help them.”

Fleck-led teams have often seen a running back dominate the carries. W, and with Potts out, many would expect Irving to take on much of the rushing load. With so much youth and inexperience at the position, the Gophers might go with a different approach.

“Right now at this point, it’s going to be a little more by committee. You look at Bucky as a true-freshman, he’s a very very talented player — hasn’t really played a ton yet and he’s still learning,” Fleck said. “I believe in him 100% and you’re going to see a heavy dose of him, probably see a heavy dose of him, probably see a heavy dose of Ky Thomas and Cam Wiley and even Bryce.”

The Gophers have been one of the more run-heavy offenses in the country this season, ranking No. 33 in total carries as a team this season. With their top two running backs now out for the season, there is no telling how this will change the teams’ their offensive identity for the remainder of the season. It will, however,, but it will take more than one guy to replace what Potts meant to this team.

“When you’re talking about how you go win football games, you better know as a head coach, as a staff and as a team how we’re going to continue to go do that even when your best players are out,” Fleck said.

In only 31 days, the Gophers will be tipping off their 2021-22 campaign at Williams Arena against Jacksonville University. After a disappointing season last year, the expectations of a quick turnaround have arisen thanks to the return of 12 of their 13 players from last season.

Along with its returning players, Minnesota will add four more to a roster with the talent and experience to compete with the best in the Big Ten conference.

“[There’s] a lot of players that know our system, know our program, know our standards, who know what we’re trying to get done,” Gophers head coach Lindsay Whalen said. “[They] have feelings from last year when we struggled at the start and also have feelings when we finished the conference in a good fashion.”

Point Guard

The lead guard position has been handled by Jasmine Powell since she entered the Gophers’ program in 2019. Her 14.5 points-per-game last season tied for first on the team, while her 5.4 assists were also a team high.

Powell was held out of three games last season due to injury, where Alexia Smith and Katie Borowicz both slid into larger roles at the position as freshmen, averaging 27.6 and 12.1 minutes per-game, respectively.

Smith, a combo-guard, could see more time at the two-guard position, while Borowicz could become the primary ball handler off the bench. All three players should see time at point guard in 2021.

Shooting Guard

Gadiva Hubbard has been a staple of the Gophers’ program, as she now heads into her sixth season. The 5-foot-9-inch guard ranked 12th in the Big Ten in 3-pointers made per-game (1.75) while starting 14 of the 16 games she appeared in last season.

Hubbard should see the bulk of minutes at the two-guard position, but Smith could continue to see her role grow this season. After starting 12 games as a true freshman her defense will be vital for this team’s success in 2021.

With so much veteran talent on the roster, true freshman Maggie Czinano will likely redshirt in her first season with the team.

Small Forward

Junior Sara Scalia was one of the Gophers’ best scorers last season, tying with Powell as the team’s leader averaging 14.5 point per contest. Her role should be large again this season, as she led the team with 33.9 minutes per game in 2021.

The backup role at the small forward position should be an open competition. Sophomore Caroline Strande led the group playing 12.3 minutes per game last season, while sophomore Erin Hedman averaged 8.7.

North Carolina A&T transfer Deja Winters will also have every opportunity to have a role on this team, as she averaged 14.1 points per game last season with the Aggies.

Power Forward

The power forward position will continue to be led by redshirt-junior Kadi Sissoko. Standing at 6-feet-2-inches, Sissoko was third on the team in scoring last season (12.6) and first in rebounding (6.6).

Graduate student Laura Bagwell-Katalinich is expected to retain her backup role, after averaging 5.9 points in 18.6 minutes per game last season.

Redshirt-sophomore Grace Cumming will add depth to the position, while true freshman Alana Micheaux will likely redshirt in her first season with the team.

Center

Junior Klarke Sconiers and senior Kayla Mershon should be expected to both play a large role at the center position this season. Sconiers started 14 games last season, while Mershon started the other seven. The duo combined to average 10.6 points and 7.8 rebounds per game last season, and could have similar production this year.

Kansas transfer Bailey Helgren will add depth to the position after averaging two points and 5.6 rebounds last season with the Jayhawks.

After a shortened season last year due to the pandemic, Whalen is looking forward to getting back on the court.

“It’s my fourth year. It’s an exciting time, we’ve been through a pandemic, ups and downs and I feel really, really good about this group,” Whalen said. “I feel like they’re ready to take that step, so there is no question that we’re excited and it’s an exciting time.”

A victory is not always pretty, and that was certainly the case for the Gophers against the Boilermakers on Saturday. After being outgained 290 total yards to 434, a great performance from the Gophers’ special teams unit and punting game was instrumental in their 20-13 victory.

“You have to have loss to have winning, and you have to be able to respect losing to win,” Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck said leading up to the game. “Our team, they’ve won games they’re not supposed to, they’ve lost games they’re supposed to win and everything in between.”

Sophomore punter Mark Crawford had his best game in a Gophers uniform against the Boilermakers, and he was the leader of Minnesota’s “ugly” win. He had six punts for an average of 51.3 yards each, four of which placed Purdue inside of its own 15-yard line, once at the two, once at the nine and twice at the 15-yard line.

“It was a strange sort of thing, with the weather it was super important to stay locked into the moment and work on the fundamentals,” Crawford said. “Our coach always says you get exposed in wet weather or your fundamentals come through and shine.”

Of Crawford’s six punts, he had two career-best distances from 60 yards, along with a 58-yarder. All three are in the top 20 longest punts in the Big Ten this season. His punting played an instrumental role in putting Purdue’s defense in unfavorable positions all game.

Punting is a play in football that is viewed as a negative, but the Gophers used Crawford to their advantage Saturday. Pinning Purdue deep in its own territory made life much easier on Minnesota’s defense, often forcing the opposition to drive 85 yards or more down the field hoping to score, making life very hard on Purdue’s offense.

“It’s tough conditions and you know it’s gonna be a low scoring game, and I thought our defense made it a low scoring game, that is a high powered offense,” Fleck said after the game.

Also serving as the team’s holder, Crawford and the Gophers’ place kicking unit had a perfect day. Senior Matthew Trickett converted both of his extra points, and both of his field goals from 38 and 42 yards away, respectively, while junior long snapper Brady Weeks, who happens to be roommates with Mark Crawford, had a great day snapping the ball as well.

“He [Trickett] is really awesome, very mature, lots of leadership and takes things seriously when he has to take it seriously,” Crawford said. “As for Brady [Weeks], he is an awesome person, he’s a funny guy and snaps really good footballs as well.”

Crawford’s superb performance didn’t go unnoticed, earning him Big Ten Co-Special Teams player of the week. It’s the Gophers’ first league honor on special teams since holder Casey O’Brien was awarded in October of 2019 and the first punter with a weekly conference honor since Peter Mortell, who was recognized on Nov. 11, 2013.

Hailing from Perth West, Australia, Crawford has had quite the journey to Minnesota. He began his sporting journey playing Aussie rules football, which can be compared to a mixture of rugby and cricket. When he was 17 years old, he began to specialize in cricket, specifically.

After seeing a local athlete from his hometown, Max Duffy, join the Kentucky football team as a punter, Crawford thought he would give the American rules of football a try.

In 2019, he moved to Melbourne and joined Prokick Australia, which has become a training ground for the best kickers and punters from Australia to train and get noticed by American programs. Crawford would eventually get noticed by the University of Minnesota, and he fell in love with the Gophers.

“I never really lived in snow, so it has been a nice change up for me,” Crawford said. “It’s been awesome learning new perspectives and this new environment, and obviously, the food; everyone loves burgers here, so that’s nice.”

Now 27 years old, Crawford has settled into his second season with the Gophers, and he is beginning to show his complete skill set.

“Every now and then I’ll get called fossil, but other than that it’s all good fun,” Crawford said.

Redshirt-senior tight end Ko Kieft is a name that many fans might not recognize, but he is the engine that makes the Gophers’ offense run.

The tight end position is one of the most versatile in football. Those who play it need the size and strength to block defensive linemen, but also the speed and skills to run routes as a pass catcher. Kieft, listed at 6 feet 5 inches, 265 pounds is one of the most unique athletes on the Gophers’ roster.

“He’s one of the toughest young people I have ever met,” Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck said. “He is very smart, very intelligent, very tough, loves his teammates, is just an incredible football player and knows his role. He’s the attitude of this team.”

Having recorded only six catches in his five-year college career, many watching the Gophers on TV don’t often hear Kieft’s name brought up on the broadcast. His success comes in the form of run-blocking, relying on his size and strength, typically used as an additional offensive lineman.

“That’s the offensive identity of our football team in general, our strength is in our O-line,” Kieft said. “Those guys are incredible and I think it would be a waste if we couldn’t get as many of those guys out on the field as possible.”

Those who watch Kieft on the field will often see a guy imposing his physical toughness upon his opponent in the run game. His dominant run-blocking has allowed the Gophers’ talented running back group to make plays down the field.

Kieft’s individual role among the Minnesota offensive line has resulted in the team ranking No. 24 nationally in rushing yards this season at 218.3 per-game.

Gophers quarterback Tanner Morgan is very thankful for Ko Kieft and what he brings to the team. He had only one word to describe the Sioux Center, Iowa native’s playing style on the field.

“Violent,” said Morgan. “That’s a guy who loves to play football. It’s not something that he does for himself, [it’s] something he does for the team and for the guys around him.”

The Gophers relied heavily on their running game against Colorado, attempting 53 runs compared to only 17 passes. The group’s “jumbo package” formation, which includes six offensive lineman along with Kieft as an extra run-blocker, was deployed early and often.

As a team, the Gophers totaled 277 yards and four touchdowns on 53 total carries, thanks to a dominant performance up front by the offensive line. All three totals are season highs against a Colorado run defense that ranked No. 13 in the country in rushing yards allowed before the game.

“That’s who we want to be as an offense, the most physical offensive unit in the country,” Kieft said.

The offensive line is a position group that often gets overlooked in the game of football; they do all of the dirty work and get none of the credit. Used predominantly as a run-blocking tight end, Kieft isn’t considered an offensive lineman, but he embodies the position in every sense of the word.

Kieft’s violent play style and veteran leadership among the Gophers’ roster has given this team an edge and confidence. You might not hear his name called on Saturdays, but he is one of the most important and well-respected players on this football team.

“I love Ko, he is somebody who will give his all for his brothers and for the team each and every single day,” Morgan said. “He’s consistent and he’s violent.”

When Gophers star running back Mohamed Ibrahim underwent season-ending surgery, many questioned how the team would replace him. Trey Potts took advantage of the momentous opportunity totaling 34 carries for 178 rushing yards and two touchdowns in the team’s first game without Ibrahim.

“[Ibrahim] was right there the whole game with me, helping manage the game and giving me pointers,” Potts said. “You know I have always been on his hip, he did a great job and I appreciate him helping me with the game.”

The Gophers relied heavily on Potts as their No. 1 running back against Miami. He was on the field for 53 of the team’s 65 offensive snaps (82%)., Bryce Williams ranked second on the team with only 10 snaps (15%) and Cam Wiley was third with four snaps (6%). Potts was also given 34 of the team’s 46 rushing attempts in the contest.

“The time came and they believed in me, so if it took 34, it took 34. The O-line played great, I just took my opportunity and made a game of it,” Potts said. “When your number is called, I gotta go out there and make a play. If that’s what it took, that’s what it took.”

He certainly took his opportunity and made a game out of it. With only 36 career carries and 212 career rushing yards prior to week two, the Williamsport, Pa. native nearly topped his career totals in just one game.

Potts showed up when the Gophers’ needed him most. In the fourth quarter, he had long runs of 11, 17, and 21, the latter of which went for the team’s final touchdown of the game. His crucial runs at the late stages of the game played a large role in Minnesota holding off Miami-Ohio’s late-game comeback.

“Gutsy. That’s Trey Potts. You don’t know how somebody is going to react when it’s that type of situation and that type of game. Now Trey has shown what he can do,” Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck said.

Potts has taken a stranglehold of the top running back position with the Gophers offense, giving him a major role within their offense for the rest of this season. The only question now is, how large will that role be?

“We’re going to throw more guys into the mix, this is how you’re able to find some guys as you keep going forward,” Fleck said. “I thought Trey did a really good job in the game, but 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 keep going forward.”

Going forward, it will be Colorado next on the schedule for the Gophers. A week three matchup in Boulder, Colo., against the 2-0 Buffaloes is next on the agenda.

The Minnesota rushing attack will have a tough task going up against a Colorado defense that has allowed the 13th fewest rushing yards this season (117), but there is no doubt that you can expect a heavy dose of Trey Potts again in week three.

Gophers star redshirt-senior running back Mohamed Ibrahim underwent season-ending surgery Tuesday, leaving the team with the daunting task of replacing the massive hole left in their offense.

The Gophers relied heavily on Ibrahim against Ohio State in week one. He had 30 carries in less than three quarters, and was later forced to leave the game with a lower-leg injury.

Last season, Ibrahim averaged a program-best 153.7 rushing yards per game en route to totaling 1,076 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns in only seven games.

After his prolific redshirt-junior campaign, Ibrahim became one of the most accomplished running backs in college football and was expected to be one of the best running backs in the country this season. He was named to the AP 2021 Preseason All-America Second Team and was added to the Doak Walker Award and Maxwell Award watchlists.

After accumulating 163 yards in last week’s game, Ibrahim moved into eighth place in career rushing yards (3,003) in Gophers program history. Whether we have seen the last of him in a Gophers uniform or not, he will go down as an all-time great.

“You feel really really bad for the young man, there is no replacing Mohamed Ibrahim,” Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck said.

“Next man up” is a phrase commonly used in football, and the Gophers will have to do just that as they attempt to replace their star running back.

The Gophers will likely deploy a stable of running backs instead of using just one. The group will likely be led by redshirt-sophomores Trey Potts and Cam Wiley, alongside redshirt-junior Bryce Williams. They also have a very talented group of young backs led by redshirt-freshman Ky Thomas and freshman Mar’Keise “Bucky” Irving.

“Every back is going to be able to get a look…every one of those backs can play football and whoever the best ones that complement each other really well from this point forward are going to play,” Fleck said.

Potts was the clear No. 2 option in the Gophers week one contest with Ohio State. The Williamsport, Pa. native recorded 10 carries for 34 rushing yards, which were both second on the team. He also added one catch for 12 yards in the passing game. His 36 career carries for 206 yards both rank No. 4 on the team.

“Everybody knows what Trey can do, but he has gotten a lot better,” Fleck said. “Trey is going to be able to take a lot of that load upon himself, but not all of it.”

Wiley was third on the team with three carries for four yards in week one. He is now No. 3 on the team in career rushing attempts and yards with 43 carries for 215 yards in his now three-year career.

“He’s got to continue to get better, and play lower and do some other things,” Fleck said.

Williams also played a role with one carry for two yards. As of now, he is the most experienced running back on the roster, it is fair to expect that his role will expand. His 140 career-carries for 541 rushing yards both rank No. 2 on the team.

“Bryce Williams has played a ton of football for us,” Fleck said. “in 2018 at Miami (OH) he rushed for 150 yards.”

Irving and Thomas have yet to record a carry in their Gophers careers, but Fleck has been impressed by their talent.

“Bucky is a really talented back, he is just young, so hopefully we’re able to get him in the mix as well,” Fleck said. “Ky Thomas is the type of guy that has that physicality too.”

The Gophers’ week two opponent Miami (OH) will be a great measuring test for their running back group. When the Gophers defeated the Redhawks 26-3 in 2018, Williams recorded a team-high 33 carries for 141 yards, but this time they will likely need all hands on deck.

“We have a lot of numbers, but you haven’t seen a lot of them, because Mohamed has been so good,” Fleck said.

Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck opened his weekly press conference in a somber tone Monday, announcing that star running back Mohamed Ibrahim would be out for the remainder of the 2021 campaign.

“Mo sustained an injury which you know and will have season-ending surgery tomorrow, on a lower-leg,” Fleck said. “Unfortunately it will end his year, 2021, not career-ending, he will make a full recovery from it.”

Ibrahim entered his redshirt senior season with a plethora of preseason accolades. After being named preseason second-team AP All-America as well as being named to the Doak Walker Award and Maxwell Award watchlists, he was expected to be one of the best running backs in the country this season.

After recording 30 carries for 163 rushing yards in less than three quarters of play against Ohio State, you could only expect that Ibrahim was down a path for success.

“You feel really really bad for the young man, there is no replacing Mohamed Ibrahim,” Fleck said.

The Gophers will now look ahead to their week two matchup with the Redhawks of Miami (OH). With Ibrahim now out, redshirt-sophomores Treyson Potts and Cam Wiley will likely assume a much larger role at the running back position alongside redshirt-junior Bryce Williams.

“He [Ibrahim] has got a smile on his face, and everything happens somewhat for a reason he feels,” Fleck said.