Rodney Smith, Shannon Brooks have the potential to be Minnesota's next great backfield duo

The comparisons started early for Shannon Brooks.

It was after a mid-October game in 2015 and Minnesota had just eviscerated Purdue 41-13 at Ross-Ade Stadium. Brooks, only a freshman at the time, had a breakout performance, rushing for 176 yards and a touchdown on just 17 carries.

Following the win, then-Gophers head coach Jerry Kill had high praise for his first-year running back.

“[Brooks] reminds me of Marion Barber,” Kill said. “He’s quick in the hole, he’s so physical. He’s special.”

Kill’s assessment may have seemed a bit premature at the time. Brooks had just 115 yards through Minnesota’s first five games and had only taken handoffs in two contests prior to the meeting with the Boilermakers. But it was on a 71-yard dash to the end zone, and putting it side-by-side with one of Barber’s famous punishing runs, that Brooks appeared to match the comparison:

Brooks finished his freshman campaign with 709 yards and seven touchdowns on 119 carries. Those numbers were on par with what Barber posted in his first season at Minnesota in 2001, when he totaled 742 yards and seven scores on 118 touches.

For Rodney Smith, most of the recognition didn’t come until the following year. He was a bit of a hidden gem alongside Brooks in his freshman season, but responded nicely in 2016, rushing for 1,158 yards and 16 touchdowns.

He was one of the B1G’s top ball-carriers last fall, ranking fourth in rushing yardage and second in touchdowns in the conference. And though there weren’t really any direct comparisons to another Minnesota great, Smith did become the first Gopher running back to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark as a sophomore since Laurence Maroney.

Barber and Maroney need no introduction in the Twin Cities. Two of Minnesota’s all-time great running backs shared a backfield for two seasons, forming one of the best running back duos in college football history.

Smith and Brooks have worked their way into the same conversation with a pair of Gopher legends. That, alone, is an impressive feat.

But heading into their junior campaign, Smith and Brooks now have a chance to recreate that overpowering rushing attack that Barber and Maroney once brought to the B1G.

Minnesota is essentially beginning the 2017 season with Barber-Maroney 2.0, only in slightly different form.

Smith and Brooks have each enjoyed individual success in their first two years. But those efforts haven’t been paired just yet. They haven’t really had the opportunity to replicate the devastating one-two punch that Barber and Maroney once delivered.

That chance would’ve presented itself in 2016, but injuries kept Brooks sidelined for three games while Smith racked up the real estate.

2017 presents another chance for the five-star meal to be properly paired with the fine wine.

With the program going through several changes, the B1G’s best returning backfield tandem could replicate one of those special years that Barber and Maroney enjoyed over a decade ago.

Both Barber and Maroney eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark in 2003 and 2004. Combined, the duo amassed 4,934 yards and scored 50 touchdowns in those two seasons while the Gophers accumulated a 17-8 record, including a 10-3 mark in 2003.

The differing skill sets – Barber as a power runner and Maroney as a finesse guy – is what made that force so unstoppable.

Smith and Brooks possess those same characteristics. And with P.J. Fleck now steering the ship (or rowing the boat), the offense will accommodate those strengths.

Fleck was able to lead Western Michigan to an undefeated regular season, a MAC title and a Cotton Bowl berth with the nation’s 19th-ranked offense. Sure, most of that success came through the air, but Fleck utilizes talent well.

Minnesota’s backfield is loaded with it.

And the Gophers will also be ushering in a new quarterback, one that probably won’t be trusted quite as much to pick up yardage with his feet as Mitch Leidner.

That is likely going to translate to more carries for both Smith and Brooks.

It’s reasonable to believe Smith and Brooks can reach the 1,000-yard milestone. They would be the first pair of Minnesota backs to accomplish that feat in the same season since 2005. But with the type of consistency the two run with, anointing them Barber-Maroney 2.0 might be just the beginning.

Six times last season, Smith rushed for over 100 yards. He also found the end zone in 10 of 13 games in his sophomore campaign. Brooks is averaging over 5.2 yards per carry over his career.

And the tandem hasn’t even reached its full potential. Not as a one-two punch. That’s still waiting to be uncovered.

Kill said that Brooks was a special player two years ago. Last year, Smith proved he was pretty special, too.

With two years of eligibility remaining for both backs, Minnesota’s newest backfield duo has a chance to be the Barber and Maroney of the modern era. Possibly better.

The comparisons started early. Smith and Brooks can make them last for a long, long time.