Will star freshman running back Darius Taylor return for Minnesota this week against Iowa?

CEDAR RAPIDS — This much is known.

Darius Taylor has signed with Team IFA, a sports agency team based in Minneapolis. It should aid him in acquiring NIL opportunities moving forward.

Now whether the phenomenal freshman running back plays for his Minnesota Golden Gophers football team Saturday afternoon at Kinnick Stadium against the Iowa Hawkeyes? Let’s wait and see.

Taylor has missed Minnesota’s last two games with a leg injury, that coming on the heels of a three-game sequence in which he went off rushing wise. Minnesota had a bye last week, giving the Walled Lake, Mich., native another week to heal and seemingly putting him on track to return in this rivalry game.

But Minnesota Coach P.J. Fleck is tight lipped when it comes to injuries. In short, he won’t talk about them and didn’t again in his weekly press conference.

“That’s always the plan,” Fleck said, when asked by a reporter if Taylor and injured linebacker Cody Lindenberg were expected to practice Monday. “I’m not the trainer, so the plan for me is always to practice them if we can. The injury report will come out two hours before kickoff.”

There you have it. Or don’t have it.

Taylor got one carry in Minnesota’s season-opening win over Nebraska, but burst onto the scene the following week with 193 yards on 33 carries in a win over Eastern Michigan. That yardage total at the time was the second-highest in school history for a true freshman.

“My biggest takeaway from this game was keeping my head focused, being poised, keeping things just honed in, focusing on my details, doing what I’m supposed to do and riding on the coattails of the line and tight ends,” Taylor said after the game.

He then had 138 yards (and a 25-yard reception) in a loss to North Carolina. On Sept. 23, he went off for 198 yards on 31 carries, though Minnesota blew a 21-point lead in the fourth quarter and lost in overtime at Northwestern.

It was late in that game when he was hurt. Just when Minnesota thought it had a replacement for Mohamed Ibrahim, who graduated after last season as the school’s all-time leading rusher.

It has been a committee approach to tailback for the Golden Gophers since Taylor’s injury. Redshirt freshman Zach Evans has gotten some literal run, as has Western Michigan transfer Sean Tyler and senior Bryce Williams.

“(Taylor) is already one of the best tailbacks in the country statistically,” Fleck said. “This is where other people have opportunities … When everyone is pretty good, it comes down to who does it just a little bit better and more consistently.”

Evans was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week after Minnesota’s win over Louisiana, meaning that he and Taylor have won the honor four times this season. Evans is from Texas and hadn’t played much at all until rushing for 85 yards and a touchdown against the Ragin’ Cajuns.

“Zach Evans, who played Sunday night football a few weeks ago to correct some of the issues he was having, had a phenomenal night,” Fleck said. “He’s working on a lot of things to become more consistent, and bang, he became more consistent. Got his opportunity, and now he’s Freshman of the Week. That’s where we’re at.”

So who will it be Saturday afternoon? Does Taylor return? Will Evans be the bellcow? Will the more experienced Tyler try and lead the way in a big road game?

Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz said at his weekly press conference this week that despite the running back questions, he knows Minnesota will continue to do what it does. That’s try to run the football.

Ibrahim had 263 yards rushing last season against the Hawkeyes, an almost unthinkable total against a defense that’s always so good. You better believe Iowa remembers that performance.

Everyone does.

“They continue to be a big, physical group offensively,” Ferentz said. “Names change, but the pattern stays pretty similar. They run the ball extremely well. Ran the ball really well against us last year, as good as anybody has in a long time.

“That’s certainly something we’ll have to be focused on.”

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