Minnesota football: Mohamed Ibrahim deserves a trip to NYC for Heisman ceremony

Mohamed Ibrahim certainly stated his case Saturday as the best running back in the country. Rushing for 263 yards and a TD against one of the best defenses in the land will do that.

Ibrahim’s been a beast all year. He deserves more recognition than he’s receiving. And if you dive into his numbers, he’s more than deserving to be a finalist for this year’s Heisman Trophy.

Will Mo receive an invite to New York City? That remains to be seen, but the senior has put the Gophers on his back, carrying the majority of the offensive load over the course of the year.

No one, and I mean no one, had made hay running against Iowa’s defense this year. Yet Ibrahim did his thing, gashing the Hawkeyes on 39 punishing carries. Ibrahim’s battled an ankle injury he suffered back in September. No matter. He tapes it up, goes out and performs each week.

Mo Ibrahim has set a stadium record with 228 yards on the ground today.

He's doing it against one of the best defenses in college football.

— Ryan Burns (@RyanBurnsMN) November 19, 2022

Only Chase Brown had gone over 100 yards against the Iowa defense. The Hawkeyes came in surrendering just 88.6 yards per game on the ground. Ibrahim obliterated that mark on his own.

Longest streak since 2000

Ibrahim moved his streak of 100+ rushing games to 19. It’s the longest in the FBS since 2000. He’s at 1,524 yards rushing on the season, and now leads the country at 152.4 per game.

Since Tanner Morgan was injured against Illinois on Oct. 15, Ibrahim has logged 30+ carries in each game. His 19 TDs lead the nation, and he’s done it in 1 less game than the rest of the players in the top 5 nationally.

In other words, solid work.

Solid enough to get an invite to NYC? You’d sure think so. Minnesota sits at 7-4 overall entering its regular season finale against Wisconsin. Without Ibrahim, it’d be hard to fathom what the Gophers’ record would be.

Adding to list of school records

The senior from Baltimore, Maryland, continues to pad his list of school records. He already holds the following:

• Rushing TDs season (19)
• Total TDs season (19)
• 100 yard rushing games/season (10)
• Rushing yardage per game (153.7) 2020

Ibrahim is also the career-leader in rushing touchdowns (52) and total TDs (also 52). He leads in total 100-yard games (24) and 200-yard games (5). He passed Darrell Thompson for the career yardage record on Saturday, eclipsing a mark that had stood since 1989. Ibrahim now has 4,527 yards in 38 career games, 9 more yards than Thompson produced in 44 games with the Gophers.

In short, the 5-10, 210-pound Ibrahim has put on an absolute clinic on how to play the position over his tenure in Dinkytown.

With all his personal accolades, Ibrahim deserves a better fate. Saturday’s 13-10 loss at home to Iowa was crushing. The Gophers haven’t captured the Floyd of Rosedale trophy during Ibrahim’s time in college. A serviceable passing game would’ve ended the streak. But Minnesota couldn’t find a way to make enough plays in the passing game to aid Ibrahim’s yeomen effort.

Chance to keep Paul Bunyan’s Axe

With their West hopes all but dashed, the Gophers must regroup for a rivalry game at Wisconsin. Minnesota captured Paul Bunyan’s Axe a year ago in Minneapolis. A win Saturday would be the 1st time the Gophers have won back-to-back games against the Badgers since 1993-94.

Running against the Wisconsin defense is normally a tall task. This year is no different, except the Badgers will be without a key defender in Nick Herbig for the opening 2 quarters. Herbig was ejected for targeting during the 2nd half of the Badgers’ 15-14 comeback win over Nebraska.

And to be honest, no one has slowed Ibrahim all year. It’s really no secret what Gophers OC Kirk Ciarrocca wants to do. Pound the rock, move the chains and play keep-away. With Ibrahim, it’s been a decent strategy. And with redshirt freshman Athan Kaliakmanis taking the snaps recently, it’s the safe play.

But safe doesn’t always win. It didn’t against Iowa. You need to take a few shots. Stretch the defense. Keep them from crowding the box. A big play or 2 would’ve made all the difference against Iowa. Can the Gophers make that type of play against Bucky? They might need to, though simply avoiding turnovers could have made the difference against the Hawkeyes, too.

In a league of star RBs, Ibrahim shines brightest

It might be a bold statement, but the results back it up. In a league of stud RBs (Brown, Blake Corum, Braelon Allen, etc.) Ibrahim is the alpha dog. His numbers and production prove it. Trying to get him down, it has been said, is like trying to tackle a bowling ball with razor blades. B1G defenders will be glad to see the 6th-year workhorse go after this season.

Shouldn’t the league’s best at the position have a seat as a finalist for the Heisman Trophy? Absolutely.

It’s late in the game, but the 2022 award is far from decided. Many voters will take their time and submit ballots at the latest possible moment. Another huge game vs. Wisconsin, and the narrative shifts even more.

Minnesota must do its part as well. Celebrate Ibrahim’s success. Promote his candidacy. Get the word out. And win on Saturday.

No doubt Ibrahim’s still a long shot. Some of the nation’s biggest names — Stroud, Young, Hooker, Williams — are getting the headlines and the love from national media.

But a deeper dive shows the nation’s best runner, and maybe overall player, has been slugging his way to a record-setting season in Minneapolis.

Shawn Ekwall

Shawn Ekwall has been a contributing writer for Huskers Illustrated and covers the Huskers and other B1G teams for Saturday Tradition. Follow him on twitter @shawn_ekwall