The Gophers were without two of their top three running backs for Saturday’s game against Michigan State, but their top linebacker returned to make his season debut.
Darius Taylor and Zach Evans, who both were injured and left the Gophers’ victory at Iowa last week, were listed as out on the Big Ten availability report released Saturday afternoon. Their depth in the backfield was thinned last week when it was announced that senior Bryce Williams, Minnesota’s fourth-leading rusher, will miss the remainder of the season because of an injury.
Taylor, a true freshman, leads the Gophers with 591 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 103 carries. He missed the games against Louisiana and Michigan because of a leg injury before returning against Iowa, where he led the Gophers with 59 yards on 16 carries. He left the game early in the fourth quarter.
Evans, a redshirt freshman, ranks third on the team with 174 yards on 37 carries with one TD. He rushed 10 times for 44 yards against Iowa before leaving the game late in the first half.
Linebacker Cody Lindenberg, who entered the season as the team’s leading returning tackler but had yet to play this season because of a leg injury, was listed as questionable but started the game. An early indication that Lindenberg would play came during early warmups. He jogged onto the field, shirtless like the rest of the Gophers linebackers, went through all the drills and was not working with a trainer as he had been in previous weeks. Lindenberg was in full uniform and worked with the first-team defense immediately before the game.
Against Michigan State, the Gophers’ top backfield options were senior Sean Tyler, a transfer from Western Michigan, and redshirt sophomore Jordan Nubin. Tyler, who surpassed 1,000 rushing yards in 2021 and 2022 for the Broncos, has rushed 55 times for 222 yards for the Gophers. When Taylor left the Iowa game, Tyler took the bulk of the carries, rushing nine times for 23 yards. Nubin, a defensive back who moved to running back, has six carries for 25 yards this season.
On the offensive line, junior right guard Tyler Cooper, who has started all seven games this season, was listed as out and missed the game. True freshman Greg Johnson made his first career start in place of Cooper.
The Gophers also announced that offensive lineman Reese Tripp was out for the game, while freshman wide receiver Cade Osterman and freshman defensive lineman Hayden Schwartz are out for the season.