Gophers’ best hope at Michigan might be Darius Taylor, a one-time Wolverines recruit

Darius Taylor, the Gophers sophomore running back and a Detroit native, will be back in his home state on Saturday when Minnesota plays No. 12 Michigan in Ann Arbor. He’ll be playing in Michigan Stadium for the first time with the Gophers, so might he have a little extra energy when he lines up against the Wolverines?

Not according to his offensive coordinator.

“He has the same jolt every single week,” Greg Harbaugh Jr. said. “Maybe internally, he’s thought about it, but with me, in my conversations with him, it’s just the next game, and he’s gonna have a great game.”

The Gophers (2-2, 0-1 Big Ten) certainly could use just that from Taylor specifically and their running game as a whole. In their two losses this season — 19-17 to North Carolina in the opener and 31-14 to Iowa last week — the Gophers weren’t productive with their ground game.

That’s a problem they need to fix quickly. The Gophers are in the middle of a three-game stretch that also includes a visit from No. 13 USC next week. And as the Big Ten season wears on, teams that can’t run the ball effectively tend to have issues when the weather conditions deteriorate.

Against the Tar Heels, Minnesota was without Taylor because of a training camp injury. The Gophers rushed 33 times for 79 yards, a 2.4-yard average, and the struggles were especially pronounced in the second half when they had 11 carries for 15 yards.

Against the Hawkeyes, the Gophers had 79 rushing yards again, this time on 21 carries. The second half was problematic again with 11 rushes for 32 yards. Taylor led Minnesota with 34 yards on 10 carries.

Compounding the issue in both losses was Minnesota’s defense giving up long drives that kept the Gophers offense on the sideline.

“It was all consistent with just not executing at a high level,” Gophers coach P.J. Fleck said of the Iowa game. “Whether it’s coaching, or whether it was progressions, or whether it was open people that we weren’t able to get the ball to, or whether it was, maybe a missed block here or there, we weren’t in sync in the second half, which ultimately falls on me.”

On Saturday, Taylor will be playing against one of the teams that tried to flip his commitment during the 2023 recruiting season. Michigan, along with Michigan State, made late pushes for the Walled Lake Western High School star. He stayed true to Minnesota then and again after his freshman season.

“Darius is a very loyal kid,” said Kory Cioroch, Taylor’s high school coach. “The early attention and early relationships he built with Minnesota and their coaches, kids and staff were the final pieces of the decision. Michigan and Michigan State came late and didn’t show enough confidence in him early, and he didn’t like that. He wanted to go somewhere where he was loved.”

Taylor and the Gophers run game will face a difficult challenge against Michigan, the defending national champion coming off a 27-24 victory over USC. The Wolverines (3-1, 1-0) have a stout defensive line led by the massive tackle duo of preseason All-America Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant. Michigan ranks 11th-best nationally with 76.5 rushing yards allowed per game.

“They’re excellent up front,” Harbaugh said. “Their two interior guys are elite. Their defensive ends are elite. Their linebackers are exceptional in the run. … I have a ton of faith in our guys up front. We’ve challenged them this week with coming off the ball, executing their assignment, because at the end of the day, that’s what it comes down to. It’s just the attitude up front.”

The Gophers are averaging 117.3 yards rushing, which ranks 118th nationally. That’s a hefty drop-off from recent seasons. They averaged 157.5 (66th) last year, 207.5 (16th) in 2022 and 198.0 (27th) in 2021.

By adding quarterback Max Brosmer through the transfer portal, Fleck signaled that the passing game and overall offensive balance would be more of an emphasis this season.

“The days of Mohamed Ibrahim running the ball 42 times on inside zone, those are over,” Fleck said Tuesday on his KFXN radio show. “We’re not doing that. We don’t have that style of offense and those type of players.”

Still, he acknowledged that he wishes Taylor would have had his hands on the ball more often against Iowa.

“Darius in the run game was my fault,” he said. “… He’s a huge part of our offense and has to be as we move forward.”

Taylor in three games has rushed for a team-high 222 yards on 35 carries. He’s developed into a pass-catching asset out of the backfield, with 11 receptions for 98 yards. His four touchdowns also lead the team.

Taylor played in only six games last year because of injuries, and the Gophers have kept some of the wear and tear off him this season. Oklahoma transfer Marcus Major leads the team with 40 rushes and has 162 yards and three touchdowns.

Harbaugh, the team’s primary play-caller, is charged to get the most out of the offense. He knows the running game hasn’t hit its stride yet against Power Four competition and is working to change that.

“It’s on me personally,” he said. “I have to be able to have the commitment to establish the run at all times.”