Behind Mo Ibrahim & defense, Gophers pound Rutgers 31-0 to end 3-game skid
Mohamed Ibrahim #24 of the Minnesota Golden Gophers celebrates his rushing touchdown against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in the second quarter of the game at Huntington Bank Stadium on October 29, 2022 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. ((Photo by David Berding/Getty Images))
MINNEAPOLIS - Being back on their home field was just what the University of Minnesota football team needed to get their first win in more than a month.
That, and a heavy dosage of running back Mo Ibrahim. The sixth-year senior, one of the Gophers’ "Encore 4," had 36 carries for 159 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Gophers to a 31-0 win over Rutgers on Saturday in front of more than 49,000 fans at Huntington Bank Stadium. Minnesota improves to 5-3 on the season, 2-3 in Big Ten play and a three-game losing skid is over. It’s also the Gophers’ first shutout since opening the season with a 38-0 win over New Mexico State, and the first shutout of a Big Ten opponent since 2004.
The Gophers weren't about to let a three-game losing streak in the Big Ten derail their season.
"Really tough coming back from four weeks without a win, but I saw us keep getting better and better in practice. They’ve never gotten worse, their attitude has never gone down," Gophers coach PJ Fleck said after the win. "I’m really proud of their resolve, because that’s really hard to do."
The story entering the day was the return of Tanner Morgan, after missing last week’s loss at Penn State in the concussion protocol. He got the start Saturday, going 14-of-21 passing for 122 yards. But the story at the end of the day was Ibrahim, Minnesota’s new career touchdown leader. It was also his 16th straight 100-yard game, passing Ezekiel Elliott's record.
Ibrahim’s first touchdown of the day, early in the second quarter, capped a 19-play, 99-yard drive and put him in the record books yet again. It was his 44th career score, passing Darrell Thompson for the program's all-time record. Ibrahim passed Thompson’s rushing touchdown mark earlier this season.
"I think everybody understands how important a healthy Mohamed Ibrahim is. Not afraid to say that, I’m a way better coach when Mohamed is healthy. He deserves a lot of credit for his record. That’s a huge record," Fleck said. "Those two will go down in Gopher history as the greatest, and they should. We couldn’t ask for better people to set records like that, and we need to appreciate that."
Cameras captured Ibrahim celebrating the score by eating Gusher's fruit snacks on the bench after.
"That’s my go-to snack in games, gushers and sometimes you see me with coconut water," Ibrahim said. "It means a lot. I know how much it takes to get that type of record and with my O-line and coach Ciarrocca, coach Burns believing in me and getting me the ball in those situations. I feel honored just to have the touchdown record."
Ibrahim’s second score of the day came with 5:14 to play in the first half, as the Gophers went for it on 4th-and goal from the 1-yard line to take a 14-0 lead at the break. The Gophers out-gained the Scarlet Knights 194-58 in the first half, and allowed just three first downs.
Ibrahim put a bow on the day after Tyler Nubin’s second interception of the season gave the Gophers the ball at the Rutgers’ 33-yard line in the fourth quarter. Ibrahim scored his third touchdown from 28 yards out, one of their most explosive plays of the day, for a 21-0 lead.
After tearing his Achilles in last year’s opener against Ohio State, Ibrahim is now closing in on 1,000 yards this season and has 13 rushing touchdowns.
"What people don’t realize, they just see him making plays on Saturdays. They don’t see the struggle that he went through last year. That doesn’t go lost on our team," Morgan said. "I think it makes it even more special watching him do his thing out there."
Nubin’s second interception of the day set up a 3-yard touchdown for Bryce Williams, and a 31-0 lead with 1:20 to play. Fleck said after the game he had an emotional meeting with Nubin earlier in the week, after hearing tough news about a family situation. In addition to a pair of interceptions, Nubin made three tackles.
"Everybody goes through hard times. Coach Fleck was really awesome being there for me this week. It’s all about the response and how you respond to those things that happen to you," Nubin said. "I love this game, that’s really what keeps me going."
The Gophers ran for 253 of their 375 total yards, averaging 4.8 yards per carry. They were also 13-of-19 on third down. Minnesota’s defense, after allowing more than 400 total yards at Illinois and at Penn State, limited the Scarlet Knights to 134 yards, seven first downs and just 2-of-10 on third down. Jah Joyner had 1.5 sacks and recovered a fumble, Danny Striggow got a half sack along with Nubin’s day.
After a month without a win, Saturday’s performance was worth celebrating. But it won’t be for long, not with a trip to Nebraska looming next Saturday.
"Winning is hard. It’s celebrating those wins with your teammates and coaches and everybody with this program, and being able to move on," linebacker Cody Lindenberg said.