Minnesota's Darius Taylor leaves Northwestern State game in the first quarter
Minnesota Golden Gophers star running back Darius Taylor’s day against the Northwestern State Demons has potentially come to a quick end.
In the first quarter of the Gophers’ matchup against Northwestern State, Taylor pulled up following a 17-yard run, grabbing the back of his leg. Taylor would be on the ground for a brief period with the trainers before walking off gingerly under his own power.
Taylor would enter the injury tent and reappear after a few minutes with his helmet in hand. In the two drives for Minnesota’s offense immediately following the injury, Taylor did not take the field.
Prior to his injury, Taylor had three carries for 20 yards. It was a strong start for the junior tailback, 30 carries for 141 yards in the Gophers’ season-opening win over Buffalo.
It appears highly unlikely that Taylor will return to the game for the Gophers, with the game already out of reach for Northwestern State. At the end of the first quarter, Minnesota led the FCS program 35-0.
Furthermore, the Gophers will need Taylor to be healthy for their week three matchup against Cal. The Gophers are also slated to start Big Ten play in two weeks against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.
Last season, Taylor totaled 986 rushing yards and 350 receiving yards in 12 games, totaling 1,336 yards from scrimmage. In 19 career games, the Michigan native has 1,926 career rushing yards and 2,404 yards from scrimmage.
In his absence, the Gophers will turn to backup running backs A.J. Turner, Cam Davis, and Fame Ijeboi to handle the carries.
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