Gophers' Mohamed Ibrahim proves he's past last year's injury in three-TD performance

That dreaded sideline tent often is a checkpoint on the way back to the locker room and into the trainer's room, a trip that means a football player's day is likely done.

And Mohamed Ibrahim was in the Tent of No Return in the third quarter Saturday as Trey Potts entered the game and got a carry. Now it was time to tent-watch for clues. But Ibrahim exited the tent during a break in action and returned to the Gophers huddle with a fresh tape job on a sore ankle. On the next play, he smashed into the middle of a tough Rutgers defense for a 5-yard gain.

I lost count of how many times Ibrahim charged up the middle for gains Saturday. It seemed as if three of every four plays were handoffs to him, and he battered Scarlet Knights defenders all afternoon long, working over Rutgers for 159 yards and three touchdowns on 36 carries.

The play-calling wasn't creative, it was redundant. In this case, it was a good thing as the Gophers ended a three-game losing streak with a 31-0 shutout of Rutgers. The Gophers needed to remember what it was like to win a game. And they did it by handing the ball to their most talented player, over and over. Ibrahim now has rushed for at least 100 yards in 16 consecutive games.

It's hard to believe that Ibrahim has resumed his prolific production after missing the majority of last season because of an Achilles' injury, which can be career-altering. The power, strength and endurance were all there Saturday. He didn't carry the ball more than 23 times in his first five games, as the Gophers clearly wanted to monitor his workload. But he carried 30 times last week in a loss to Penn State and now 36 against Rutgers. That shows he's recovered nicely from last year's adversity.

"I'm willing to do whatever for the team," Ibrahim said. "Two weeks ago it was 15 carries. Before that, it was like 20. I don't have a pitch count now. I'm ready to go. I can get as many carries as I want to."

While rehabbing following his injury, Ibrahim also pledged to nail down all the finer points of the offense. Not just for when he is on the field, but also for the time when a younger running back asks a question. When he takes a handoff, he knows where the holes might be. That was evident on his final carry of the game in the third quarter, when he ran up the middle before bouncing to the right, bursting down the sideline and into the end zone for a 28-yard touchdown run that made the score 21-0 after the extra point. And time for Potts to get some work.

That play also showed that Ibrahim still has enough speed to run away from defenders.

"On that 28-yard touchdown run," Ibrahim said, "it was the play I was looking for the whole day, and then it happened."

Ibrahim carried 12 times during the Gophers' 19-play drive early in the second quarter over 10 minutes, 27 seconds, culminating in a 2-yard touchdown run. He added a 1-run score later in the quarter as the Gophers took a 14-0 lead. Ibrahim now has 46 career touchdowns, breaking a tie with Darrell Thompson for the most in school history.

The Gophers are 5-3 with four regular-season games left, including a trip to Nebraska next week to face a Cornhuskers team that can be tough when they limit mistakes and boneheaded plays. They also have Iowa, whose defense is tougher than Rutgers', and a season finale at Wisconsin. This smells like an eight-win Gophers team, but it's not going to be easy.

What is evident is that the running game will determine how their next four games go. Ibrahim has 66 carries over the last two weeks and looks like he's distanced himself from last year's injury. More play action passes would be nice, but the Gophers are prepared to ground and pound the rest of the way. Get ready to see more Mo.