- Adam Rittenberg
- ESPN Senior Writer
- 10:47 am CT
Coach P.J. Fleck said Ibrahim, the Big Ten's running back of the year and a third-team AP All-America selection in 2020, will undergo surgery Tuesday. He had 163 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries before being injured late in the third quarter of Minnesota's 45-31 loss. Ibrahim limped off the field and went into Minnesota's injury tent, eventually walking to the locker room with a boot on his left foot.
"He's disappointed," Fleck said. "He's worked incredibly hard. But it's football. You can't control the injuries when you get onto the field, and you're playing in games. He's got a great sense about him right now and a great presence. He's obviously not happy with what happened, but he's been able to deal with it."
Fleck didn't specify the injury but said it's "pretty clean" and that Ibrahim will be able to make a full recovery in four to six months. Ibrahim is a fifth-year senior who endured several injuries earlier in his career but still ranks eighth in team history with 3,003 rushing yards and fourth in rushing touchdowns with 33. He has 547 career carries.
In 2020, he was the only Big Ten player to rush for 1,000 yards, and set Minnesota's single-season record for rushing average (153.7 ypg). He ranked second nationally in scrimmage yards per game (161.7), trailing only Buffalo's Jaret Patterson (178.7).
"Whether he comes back or goes to the NFL, that's a choice he'll make, not now, but later," Fleck said. "He doesn't need to make it now. He needs to worry about getting healthy and making a full recovery." Fleck called Ibrahim "the best back in the country" and "the heartbeat of this team," and said Ibrahim spent practice Sunday coaching the other running backs. Sophomore Trey Potts replaced Ibrahim against Ohio State and logged 10 carries for the game. Sophomore Cam Wiley and others also likely will be in the rotation for carries.
"We have a lot of numbers," Fleck said. "You just haven't seen a lot of them because Mohamed's been so good."
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10:33 AM CT
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Tom VanHaaren - ESPN Staff Writer
Michigan wide receiver Ronnie Bell will miss the remainder of the football season with a right knee injury, Jim Harbaugh announced on Monday.
Bell was injured on a punt return in the second quarter of Michigan's 47-14 win over Western Michigan. The senior and captain had one catch for 76 yards and a touchdown in the game, before his injury.
Returning for his senior season, Bell was poised to be Michigan's best wide receiver and one of the team's most reliable offensive players. He led the team in receiving yards in 2020, with 401 yards and one touchdown on 26 receptions in six games.
It's an important loss to the Wolverines offense, which is looking for a turnaround from last season. The staff does have other options at receiver, but none as accomplished as Bell.
Daylen Baldwin transferred in from Jackson State this offseason and had one catch for 69 yards and a touchdown in the game against Western Michigan. Cornelius Johnson was second on the team in receiving yards in 2020, with 254 yards and three touchdowns.
The coaches also brought in freshman receiver Cristian Dixon in the most recent recruiting class, from Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California, and have speedsters Roman Wilson, A.J. Henning and Mike Sainristil that will need to step up with the loss of Bell.
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