MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — With a senior-laden lineup led by running back Mo Ibrahim, Minnesota entered the season with a prime opportunity to bounce back from a rough year and compete with rivals Wisconsin and Iowa for the West Division title.
One week in, the Gophers have already been handed a major setback.
Ibrahim will miss the rest of the season because of a lower left leg injury, coach P.J. Fleck announced Monday. The fifth-year player from Baltimore will have surgery Tuesday and need four to six months to recover. He was a second-team preseason Associated Press All-America selection.
“This isn’t like you can just say, ‘OK, we’ll just put the next guy in.’ You can’t do that. He’s such a special player, and I think he’s the best back in the country for a lot of reasons. One of the biggest reasons is he’s an unbelievable person, the hardest worker on this team, the heartbeat of the team,” said Fleck, who declined to specify the injury but said Ibrahim sustained a tear.
The severity suggested an Achilles tendon. Ibrahim was hurt on the second-to-last play of the third quarter Thursday against fourth-ranked Ohio State, when he ran to the right side for 1 yard and tried to escape a tackle by safety Ronnie Hickman. After Ibrahim planted his left foot, slow-motion replays on the Fox broadcast showed his leg react as if something had popped inside.
“The specific part, I always leave up to the kids. Not that I’m hiding information. Everybody can watch the video, see it a million...
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