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The legend of Mohamed Ibrahim began with him coming off the bench in a moment of need when teammates Shannon Brooks and Rodney Smith went down with injuries in 2018. Ibrahim rushed for 1,160 yards that season. In 2019, he returned to a reserve role. Last season he was named Big Ten running back of the year.
On Thursday, he became the eighth Gophers running back to rush for more than 3,000 yards in a career following his 164-yard effort against fourth-ranked Ohio State. But he limped off the field in a walking boot, the last injury the fans at Huntington Bank Stadium wanted to see.
Ibrahim, during his journey to becoming one of the top backs in college football, has remained a realist. If a door opened for him the way it did three years ago, he knew that same door could open for someone else if he's not available.
"I think that it's important to understand that it's the whole offense," Ibrahim said during an interview last month. "It's not just me. If I go down, you have other running backs that can do the same exact things."
The extent of Ibrahim's left leg injury is not known, but it didn't look good when he went down at the end of a short run and reached for his leg.
"We don't know how long Mo is going to be out," Gophers coach P.J. Fleck said after the game. "Hopefully it's not anything, but we don't know."
Regardless of how long Ibrahim is sidelined, other running backs will be asked to fill in for No. 24. It's a tall task.
“We have a deep backfield. Maybe a little inexperienced. But one way to get experience is to go out and play.”
If you're within earshot of Gophers football practice, Fleck has been known to get on the microphone after a turnover and yell. "You must protect the football! The football IS the program!"
When Ibrahim had the football on Thursday, the program was in excellent hands.
Until he exited Thursday's game with 37 seconds left in the third quarter, he had averaged 5.4 yards a carry against a Buckeyes defense that was out to stop him.
In the second quarter, he took off on a 56-yard run after putting a move on Ohio State's Lejond Cavazos that had the defender diving at Ibrahim's vapor trail. He ripped the Buckeyes defense apart during a 19-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. He also had runs of 16, 8 and 11 yards. Unfortunately for the Gophers, the Buckeyes had a flock of skill position players doing the same thing, as four different players had plays of at least 56 yards.
The rest of the Gophers running back room might be unable to match Ibrahim's relentlessness or ability to bounce off tacklers. But it's a group that will be leaned upon more for as long Ibrahim is sidelined.
Redshirt sophomore Treyson Potts carried the ball 10 times Thursday, gaining 37 yards. Four carries came after Ibrahim left the game, including a 10-yard burst. He also caught a pass for 12 yards. The Gophers might be on the verge of finding out how good he is.
"Trey Potts, I think, is a tremendous tailback," Fleck said. "I think you had a chance to see that too."
Bryce Williams, a redshirt junior, crashed in from the 2 in the fourth quarter to pull the Gophers within 38-31. Cam Wiley, a redshirt sophomore, was second on the team with 190 yards rushing last season. He carried three times for 4 yards Thursday. Fleck mentioned how Williams and Wiley have played a lot of football for the Gophers.
Freshmen Mar'Keise Irving and Ky Thomas also could see some action.
"We have a deep backfield," Fleck said. "Maybe a little inexperienced. But one way to get experience is to go out and play."
There should be yards to gain behind a highly regarded offensive line for whomever Fleck uses in place of Ibrahim, with a committee approach likely the way he will go.
Ibrahim accepted the responsibility of leading the younger running backs, showing the work ethic needed to be among the best. Again, it's not known how long he will be sidelined, but he never forgot how he got his chance. He'll probably remind his fellow running backs of that while he's recovering.
