Gophers' offense should run through Rodney Smith and Shannon Brooks

College Park, Md. – Laurence Maroney and Marion Barber left a checklist of lessons for the latest duo of productive Gophers running backs, Rodney Smith and Shannon Brooks. Among them:

• You don't need a nickname, and you are within your rights as American citizens to fend off attempts to give you a bad one. It's in one of those odd-numbered amendments.

ESPN has tried to label Smith and Brooks "Dash and Bash." "It was kind of weird," Smith said. "Shannon didn't like the 'Bash' part."

• You are not required to complain about playing time or touches. You are not wide receivers. "When he scored his first [college] touchdown," Smith said, "I was probably more excited than he was."

• You are not required to fill a clichéd role. Brooks, a thumper, can and will make defenders miss; Smith, a juker, can and will lower his shoulder. "We can both do both," Brooks said.

• Just because the president and vice president of the United States are not allowed to travel together doesn't mean that two college running backs can't. Maroney and Barber used to piggyback on a scooter around campus. Brooks and Smith carpool.

"Neither one of us have a scooter," Smith said. "But we do carpool. I take him to class, he takes me to class. My car. I let him drive sometimes. I don't like to drive all the time. I drive a Dodge Avenger. 2014."

Saturday afternoon, the Georgia natives took turns driving the Gophers offense, producing 257 yards and three touchdowns in Minnesota's 31-10 thumping of Maryland at Maryland Stadium.

Smith rushed 18 times for 144 yards and two touchdowns, including a career-long 70-yard run that concluded with Smith and Brooks executing their "Euro-Step" celebration. He also caught one pass for 10 yards.

Brooks rushed 22 times for 86 yards and turned a screen pass into a 17-yard touchdown.

Their success was a reminder to a world of armchair tacticians who believe you can't run the ball if the defense is stacked at the line of scrimmage. Adrian Peterson rushed for 2,097 yards against defenses committed to stopping him; Brooks and Smith ran wild against a team that had no reason to fear the pass.

The Gophers had not won a Big Ten game this season. They were missing their senior quarterback and starting a walk-on, completed just seven passes, committed too many unforced penalties and missed a field goal.

On Smith's 8-yard touchdown run that opened the scoring, he took a handoff to the right, got hit in the backfield, spun 270 degrees, veered left and eased into the end zone.

"The biggest part about spinning is ball security," Smith said. "A lot of people don't think about that because it looks cool. It's an instinctual thing, spinning off of contact. You can't run through everybody, so having that in my arsenal definitely helps me."

Brooks scored the next touchdown, taking a middle screen, juking the only defender in sight and beating the rest to the goal line.

Was he craving a long run? "I haven't had one since I've been here so it's definitely a good feeling," Smith said.

So 37 yards isn't long? "No," he said. "Those are good plays, but hitting the home runs is definitely a momentum swinger for the team."

Smith and Brooks should drive the offense from now on, whether Leidner is healthy or not.

"Carpool?" Maryland might remember the fourth quarter as a matter of Brooks, and done.