Ibrahim credits teammates for his accolades
Redshirt junior running back Mohamed Ibrahim claimed the Ameche-Dayne Big Ten Running Back of the Year award on Tuesday.
Ibrahim is the first Gopher to ever win the award. Along with the hardware, Ibrahim was also named first team All-Big Ten for the 2020 season.
GET THE INSIDE SCOOP EVERY DAY WITH YOUR PREMIUM SUBSCRIPTION!
SIGNING DAY COVERAGE: FIVE TAKEAWAYS FROM NSD | A DECADE OF MINNESOTA RECRUITING CLASSES | SIGNING DAY TWEETS
The 5-foot-10 210-pound bruiser was one of seven offensive players for Minnesota to receive All-Big Ten honors. This is Ibrahim's second All-Big Ten selection as he was named an honorable mention for his 2018 campaign.
Last year, Ibrahim gained just over 600 rushing yards in 11 games played. This season the Baltimore, Maryland native obliterated that total in just six games, racking up 925 yards rushing on 175 carries along with 15 rushing touchdowns.
Not only were his season stats stellar, but Ibrahim tied Minnesota's school record with four rushing touchdowns in a game twice. His first four touchdown effort came on October 30th versus Maryland and the second one the following week at Illinois.
Ibrahim's season high on the ground came at Illinois as well as the star ball carrier totaled 224 yards rushing. He topped the 200-yard mark twice this season and ran for at least two touchdowns in all but one of the Gophers six games.
Although Ibrahim was the clear-cut favorite in the Big Ten to win the award, he knows that he didn't do it alone and that it took hard work, not talent to get the accolade.
“I’m still kinda shocked right now...I’m still settling in with the fact they gave me that award," Ibrahim said. "The first thing I did was talk to my o-line, my tight ends, and my wide receivers just to say thank you for everything that they’ve done...I couldn’t do it by myself. I’m not the fastest, I’m not the strongest, but with them we work together and we get the job done, so I had to thank them first.”
While there were many awards to go around the offensive unit, Ibrahim knows the season is not over and improvement comes before being honored on the gridiron.
“It’s nice that we’re being recognized, but that’s not why we play the game," Ibrahim said. "We play the game to win and get better each day...each day we’re getting better and better, so that’s how I look at it.”
Ibrahim was plagued with a shoulder injury in last week's contest at Nebraska, but that didn't slow him down. He totaled 108 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries in the Gophers 24-17 win.
“I wouldn’t say I was in pain, I would say I was very uncomfortable...just playing with different equipment pieces and understanding what I can and cannot do with certain pieces, that was the hardest thing," Ibrahim said. "I was able to switch up my equipment to fit that, so by the time the end of the game came I was comfortable and I was able to finish the game.”
Toughness would be an understatement for this all-conference offensive weapon. After such a trying effort last week, Ibrahim says he's ready to go for Saturday's rivalry game at Wisconsin.
“I feel good, I’m 100%, I’m healthy. I just got to play with my equipment a little bit," Ibrahim said.
With 129 meetings between the Gophers and Badgers, The Battle for Paul Bunyan's Axe is NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision's most played rivalry game. Ibrahim and his teammates are ready to go to war.
“That’s a game that we circle every year, knowing that it’s going to be a big one from both sides...going back and watching two years ago you can see the growth that we made as a unit...just knowing the result came up as we wanted was pretty fun...we all get memories watching that game, but then again you can’t worry about what happened last year as well," Ibrahim said. "We know that we got to do things better this year.”
Former teammate and now Carolina Panther Rodney Smith knows a thing or two about that rivalry. He was one of the first to congratulate the award-winning running back on his accomplishment.
“He literally just texted me before I came into the Big Ten meeting," Ibrahim said. "He shouted me out online then he called me two or three times, and I didn’t answer, but I know he has something to say about it.”
Among the awards, rivalry game and a lingering injury, Ibrahim has a lot on his plate currently. Even with next-level talent he is focused on the Gophers and the road ahead.
“I’m not thinking about it right now. Right now I’m thinking about just this Wisconsin week, but it never ran through my mind to leave early," Ibrahim said. "I still don’t got my degree yet, and that’s the first thing...as of right now I’m staying.”