Gophers running back Darius Taylor will miss his second consecutive game because of a hamstring injury suffered Sept. 6 against Northwestern (La.) State, while his backup, A.J. Turner, will miss the remainder of the season because of an apparent knee injury suffered Sept. 13 at California.
Both were on the Big Ten’s availability report, which was released two hours before Saturday’s 11 a.m. kickoff.
With Taylor and Turner out, the Gophers are expected to rely on redshirt freshman Fame Ijeboi and Washington transfer Cam Davis. Ijeboi rushed 16 times for 85 yards at Cal and has 136 yards on 23 carries this season. Davis carried 15 times for 44 yards, including a 1-yard touchdown run, at Cal and has 21 carries for 69 yards and two TDs this season.
Taylor was injured on his third carry against Northwestern State. On a 17-yard run to the Demons’ 1-yard line, Taylor pulled up before reaching the end zone and grabbed the back of his right leg. He collapsed to the turf out of bounds and was tended to before walking off.
The junior from Detroit leads the Gophers with 161 rushing yards on 33 carries and ranks fourth with five receptions for 45 yards.
Taylor’s absence was apparent at Cal as the Gophers averaged only 3.5 yards per carry and got only four receptions for 7 yards from their running backs. Fleck on Monday said Taylor was doing “really, really well.’’
Turner, a transfer from Marshall who has one year of eligibility remaining after 2025, rushed four times for 15 yards at Cal before suffering his injury in the second quarter. He had 16 carries for 64 yards this season.
Also listed as out were wide receivers Cristian Driver and Bradley Martino, kicker Sam Henson, defensive back Garrison Monroe, defensive lineman Theo Randle and offensive lineman DJ Shipp. Defensive back Naiim Parrish was listed as questionable.
