Next. Man. Up. That’s the attitude the Gophers have after losing another running back to a season-ending injury.
Bryce Williams suffered a season-ending leg injury during Minnesota’s 41-14 win over Northwestern on Saturday. He’s the third Gopher running back to be lost for the season, following injuries to Mohamed Ibrahim and Trey Potts.
The injuries put the running game squarely in the hands of true freshman Mar’Keise Irving and redshirt freshman Ky Thomas. That might sound bad, but Irving and Thomas have both rushed for over 100 yards in two consecutive games.
Throw in the fact that Cam Wiley entered the NCAA transfer portal two weeks ago and the only other running back perhaps ready to assume some of the load is Derik LeCaptain, who has spent time playing special teams and linebacker, was recently moved to running back (he played RB in high school) and had an incredible rushing touchdown against Northwestern.
O Captain! LeCaptain! pic.twitter.com/lCMZkWT7Vw
— Minnesota Football (@GopherFootball) October 31, 2021
Minnesota (6-2, 4-1 Big Ten) is in first place in the Big Ten West and hosts Illinois (3-6, 2-4) on Saturday at 11 a.m.
