Will Cobb play vs. Badgers? Gophers plan both ways

With the Big Ten West title on the line Saturday at Wisconsin, Gophers standout running back David Cobb has practically moved into the football training room for treatment on his strained left hamstring.

Cobb pulled the muscle in last week's victory at Nebraska, and coach Jerry Kill didn't sound optimistic Tuesday about him playing against Wisconsin, saying the senior was "very questionable." The coach said midday Tuesday there was hope the senior might be able to test the injury with some jogging later that day.

"I don't care what you do, if it's day, night, 24/7," Kill said he told the team's training staff, "we'll worry about paying you later."

Those who have watched even one Gophers possession this season know why the coach is willing to shell out overtime to get Cobb back. He has been Minnesota's workhorse, ranking fourth in the nation with 24.5 rushing attempts per game.

Cobb is also nearing a single-season school record with 1,430 rushing yards. While that's a long way from Melvin Gordon's 2,109 for Wisconsin, their respective value to their run-heavy teams is similar. Cobb has accounted for 57 percent of the Gophers' rushing yards, while Gordon has 56 percent for Wisconsin. The Badgers rank second in the nation with 3,778 yards rushing, and Minnesota ranks 24th (2,518).

Gordon is a transcendent player and a deserving Heisman Trophy candidate. Cobb might not possess his skill set, but everyone knows the 22nd-ranked Gophers would have a hard time winning their showdown with No. 14 Wisconsin without him.

Cobb's questionable status probably helps explain the steep point spread, with the Badgers listed as a 14-point favorite.

Asked for his gut feel whether Cobb would play Saturday, fellow tailback Donnell Kirkwood said, "He's one of the toughest guys I've ever met. He'll play with a broken foot if he has to to get in this game. I honestly think he'll be suited up Saturday."

But what if Cobb can't play? Would the Gophers be doomed?

The Gophers got a taste of life without Cobb at Nebraska, after he got injured on a 17-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter that trimmed the Cornhuskers' lead to 21-14. After the injury, the Gophers got the ball four more times. They drove for two touchdowns — of 73 and 80 yards — punted once and successfully ran out the clock at the end.

Nebraska looked baffled by the read option, and Gophers quarterback Mitch Leidner often kept the ball for big gains. He finished with a season-high 22 carries for 111 yards and two touchdowns.

Of course, that was against Nebraska, which ranks 84th in the nation in rushing defense. The Badgers, for comparison, rank fifth.

"We've got good backs; we proved that Saturday," Kill said.

A quick refresher on the Gophers' three tailback options behind Cobb:

• Kirkwood led the Gophers with 926 rushing yards two years ago but sprained an ankle in last year's opener. By the time he got healthy, Cobb had taken over. Now a senior, Kirkwood has shown flashes of his old self — including key runs of eight and 10 yards at Nebraska — but for the season he's averaging 3.2 yards per carry, compared to 5.3 for Cobb.

• Rodrick Williams is averaging 4.3 yards per carry. The Gophers trust him in short-yardage situations, and he showed what he could do at Nebraska, when he took a handoff on fourth-and-1 and rumbled 19 yards for a third-quarter touchdown.

• Berkley Edwards was the tailback the Gophers had planned to feature the most, besides Cobb. But the speedy Edwards sprained an ankle last year, dinged a shoulder early this season and suffered a concussion at Nebraska. Kill said he hopes Edwards will be ready to play against Wisconsin. For the season, he's averaged 4.7 yards per carry.

"That's what's really neat about this," Kill said. "We've got a lot of people that have had to step up. It's been a good team effort."

But Kill knows what would be really neat for his squad — the sight Saturday of a healthy, or healthy enough, David Cobb.