Could Gophers Darius Taylor be one of the best running backs in college football this season?


I’ll wait til gopher man Justin conzemius tells me the gopher facts.
 





He is certainly talented and if he can stay healthy I could see a 1400 yard season. Hopefully PJ will have a back-up or back-ups that can handle 10-15 carries a game. I think keeping Taylor away from 30-35 carry games will be important.
 

He is certainly talented and if he can stay healthy I could see a 1400 yard season. Hopefully PJ will have a back-up or back-ups that can handle 10-15 carries a game. I think keeping Taylor away from 30-35 carry games will be important.

Something tells me that no matter how many carries he gets, it will be the wrong number.
 

I remember when Taylor was injured during the Northwestern game on his 31st carry. Maybe they should stop running him at 28 carries. On the other hand, it was an important play late in the game they lost, so I understand using your best weapon.

I agree he will have a great season if he's not injured.

He'll be one year older with one more year of weightlifting muscle mass to help.
 

In PJ’s one great Gopher year (2019), he passed more than in any year since. Yet we had a great running game, too, with three RBs sharing the load: Rodney Smith, Shannon Brooks and Mo Ibrahim. If in 2019 we had decided to pass less, and also allocate virtual all carries primarily to one back (until he crumpled), it would have been a much different season. I’d love to see Taylor have a great 2024 season, with gas in the tank in the 4th Q of key games, when we need first downs to ice a game. I’d hate to see him run into the ground early in the season. Time will tell.
 



In PJ’s one great Gopher year (2019), he passed more than in any year since. Yet we had a great running game, too, with three RBs sharing the load: Rodney Smith, Shannon Brooks and Mo Ibrahim. If in 2019 we had decided to pass less, and also allocate virtual all carries primarily to one back (until he crumpled), it would have been a much different season. I’d love to see Taylor have a great 2024 season, with gas in the tank in the 4th Q of key games, when we need first downs to ice a game. I’d hate to see him run into the ground early in the season. Time will tell.
I forgot how great that backfield was, average carries were:
Smith 17.5
Brooks 8.1
Ibrahim 10.3
 

Something tells me that no matter how many carries he gets, it will be the wrong number.
Yep....there is a serious obsession on this board about the number of carries a RB gets.

If Taylor can continue on the same trajectory that he showed as a true freshman he has a chance to be special. Has to stay healthy but he seems to have that "it" factor that star players have. Hopefully some of the other RB prove capable as well so that they can spread the carries around but I tend to be far less obsessed about carry numbers than some of the posters here.
 

Yep....there is a serious obsession on this board about the number of carries a RB gets.

If Taylor can continue on the same trajectory that he showed as a true freshman he has a chance to be special. Has to stay healthy but he seems to have that "it" factor that star players have. Hopefully some of the other RB prove capable as well so that they can spread the carries around but I tend to be far less obsessed about carry numbers than some of the posters here.
Well we have lost our top back for multiple games over the last few years, likely costing us some wins, so it would be nice to spread the carries to lower the risk of injury. But you have to have a productive second and third option, we haven’t always had that.
 

In PJ’s one great Gopher year (2019), he passed more than in any year since. Yet we had a great running game, too, with three RBs sharing the load: Rodney Smith, Shannon Brooks and Mo Ibrahim. If in 2019 we had decided to pass less, and also allocate virtual all carries primarily to one back (until he crumpled), it would have been a much different season. I’d love to see Taylor have a great 2024 season, with gas in the tank in the 4th Q of key games, when we need first downs to ice a game. I’d hate to see him run into the ground early in the season. Time will tell.
Amen! The Mo fumble in the 2022 Iowa game was 100% a fatigue fumble and we likely win that game if he doesn't cough it up. 39 carries is INSANE at any level.
 




What will Greg Harbaugh's offense be like? A balanced attack with Max Brosmer at the helm would be nice.

We want a dynamic offense that utilizes Darius Taylor's running prowess with a healthy passing attack.
 

I don't know if he can stay healthy the whole year. PJ needs to quit giving his running backs 40 carries.
 




Top Bottom