Redshirt freshmen Mohamed Ibrahim, Blaise Andries power Gophers ground game

When the Gophers hung with then-No. 3 Ohio State for most of four quarters before falling 30-14 last week, a slice of the future was developing before our eyes. Among the seven freshmen starting for Minnesota on offense were a pair of redshirt freshmen who helped make the running game go.

Running back Mohamed Ibrahim carried the ball 23 times for 157 yards and two touchdowns. Helping open those holes for Ibrahim to burst through was 6-5, 315-pound classmate Blaise Andries at right guard. Together, they are key contributors from P.J. Fleck's recruiting Class of 2017 that the Gophers coach locked down only days after getting the job.

Andries, from Marshall in southwestern Minnesota farm country, and Ibrahim, from the Baltimore area, have disparate backgrounds but have become good friends.

"We're pretty tight," Ibrahim said. "We always hang out, we're always chilling."

Said Andries: "We connect pretty well. Our whole O-line is pretty country. We've got a couple city guys, but we're mostly country. It's all in good fun."

Both hope that bond continues to click on Saturday, when the Gophers (3-3, 0-3 Big Ten) start the second half of their season at Nebraska (0-6, 0-4). Minnesota will try to end a three-game conference losing streak and secure a victory that would move it one step close to bowl eligibility. To do so against a Cornhuskers team that's averaging 440.5 yards of offense per game, the Gophers would like to use a strong running attack to keep Nebraska's offense off the field. That's where Ibrahim and Andries, among many others, come in, hoping to build on a performance at Ohio State in which the Gophers ran for 178 yards.

"[The offensive line] did a great job. The running back did a nice job with his vision, and the quarterbacks and receivers did a nice job with the RPO [run-pass option] game," offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca said. "It all kind of went together, and we were able to run the ball."

"It was kind of a joke going around that if I was a little bit faster, I would have scored — just one more yard," Ibrahim said. "It was a humbling process, just getting back on the field."

Ibrahim played his high school ball at Our Lady of Good Counsel High School in Olney, Md. His coach, Bob Milloy, remembers a no-nonsense player.

"What you see is what you get. He never talks, extremely quiet," said Milloy, who retired last year after leading Good Counsel to 405 victories, most in Maryland history. "He's just a rugged, downhill, old-school tailback. He's not super-fast, but he literally can run people over."

Ibrahim's big game at Ohio State — for which he was named Big Ten freshman of the week — caught Milloy's attention.

"I'm thinking to myself, 'If he can gain 157 yards against Ohio State's defense, he probably can get 100 yards in the NFL,' " said Milloy, who also coached Vikings receiver Stefon Diggs at Good Counsel.

"That was a whirlwind," Fleck said. "… You look at [the roster], going OK, we're going to need running backs because you always need that. … But Mohamed Ibrahim, I'm just very thankful he's here."

Said Ibrahim: "Coach Fleck, it's hard to say no to that man. … It wasn't a big decision for me. It just clicked."

Ibrahim spent the 2017 season as a redshirt, which can be frustrating for players used to seeing the field extensively. He appreciates the time to adjust to Big Ten football.

"It was hard, but it was necessary," he said. "Just learning the game all over again and learning what I needed to know from Rodney and Shannon and Kobe [McCrary] — what I need to do to be a good back in this league."

Andries committed to the Gophers in April 2016, when Tracy Claeys was coach. After Claeys was fired following the 2016 Holiday Bowl, Fleck took over and opposing recruiters tried to lure the big lineman, according to his coach at Marshall High School, Terry Bahlmann.

Andries acknowledged Nebraska "recruited me pretty hard, especially after I committed. I had to tell them home was were the heart was, and I was coming to Minnesota. They understood that, and it's all good."

It's been all good for the Gophers coaching staff, which was tempted to play Andries last year. Instead, the Gophers waited and now have a guard that's developing quickly.

"Blaise as probably played his two best football games the last two weeks," Ciarrocca said. "The talent's there; Blaise just needs to continue to believe in himself. When his details are there and he's got his 'how,' he can play against anybody."

New Mexico State found that out in the opener, when Andries delivered a pancake block to an Aggies linebacker that helped free wildcat quarterback Seth Green for a TD run.

"That's what he did for us," Bahlmann said. "It's great to see him do it at the college level."