David Cobb gunning for 1,000 rushing yards, team wins

MINNEAPOLIS -- Gophers running back David Cobb did plenty of things Saturday against Nebraska that stood out to fans and jumped off the box score. The junior carried the load for Minnesota, as the Gophers upset the Huskers. He gained a career-high 138 yards rushing, topping the 100-yard mark for the second straight week.
It was the things Cobb did that didn't show up on the stat sheet, however, that exemplified just how far he's come since first setting foot on campus in 2011 -- and how he's matured from the running back that had just one carry as a sophomore last year. Offensive coordinator Matt Limegrover was more impressed by a pair of plays Cobb made in pass protection than anything the Killeen, Tex., native did with his legs.
"Everybody wants to talk about how many yards he had on Saturday; everybody wants to talk about going over 100 yards," Limegrover said. "He had two great blocks in the game that he wouldn't have even thought about doing last year."
Cobb had plenty else to think about last year, a year that was squandered as he watched his close friends -- and his competitors -- rack up the yards while he stood idly on the sideline. He had just one carry all season in a game against Iowa, during which he also had his lone catch of the season. Given the way Donnell Kirkwood was running, and the emergence of freshman Rodrick Williams midway through the season, there was simply no opportunity for Cobb to crack into the running back rotation.
After 10 carries for 57 yards as a freshman, Cobb expected those numbers to go up, not down, as a sophomore. Instead, he became a non-factor in Minnesota's offense. For any player, such a reality is a hard pill to swallow.
"It was tough. It was definitely tough," Cobb said. "You can't hang your head. The team had success and Kirkwood had a great season, so what you do is you motivate him. But at the same time, you have to look yourself in the mirror and ask yourself what can you do to get better and just really prove yourself."
It wasn't necessarily the physical skills Cobb needed to hone. Instead, it was a maturation process that had to take place before he could gain the coaches' trust. The 5-foot-11, 225-pound back has always had the shiftiness and the speed, something that distinguishes Cobb from the bowling-ball types of Kirkwood and Williams. 
There was more to it than simply being able to run the ball that Cobb had to figure out.
"He's matured as a football player. That has a lot to do with it," said Gophers running backs coach Brian Anderson. "He's always had the ability. For some guys, it takes time and some guys come in right away. It just took him a little bit of time, but he's getting it all figured out and it's coming together."
Indeed, Cobb has put everything together and has gone from a third-string running back at the beginning of fall to Minnesota's starting tailback in each of the last two games. Through Saturday's win, Cobb now leads the Gophers with 615 rushing yards, and his five rushing touchdowns are tops among the team's running backs. 
Cobb showed glimpses early this year that he was ready to turn the corner. He broke off a 60-yard run against UNLV in the season opener, gained 82 yards and scored two touchdowns against Western Illinois and topped the 100-yard mark for the first time in his career in Minnesota's win against San Jose State. An early-season injury to Kirkwood opened the door for Cobb to get more carries, and when Williams was benched for the Northwestern game due to off-the-field issues, Cobb had yet another big opportunity.
He's made the most of the chances he's gotten. Cobb gained 103 yards in the road win at Northwestern, helping to earn him another start against Nebraska. It's taken Cobb patience to get to this point, and he credits Anderson for helping him stay humble through the tough times as well as the success.
"For me, everything's humbling. You can never get too comfortable," Cobb said. "Coach has done a great job of pushing us, and the competition is every day. I'm no better than any backs that we have. I just have the opportunity of it. I take advantage of my opportunity, just keep playing and week in and week out keep proving myself and gain the coaches' trust."
The coaching staff has been honest with Cobb throughout the process. Limegrover notes the Gophers film every practice, so if a player has an issue with their playing time, they can show them the tape and point out what needs to happen in order for a backup to become a starter.
"David had to become more mature. David had to become more responsible, because we flat-out told him, coach Anderson told him, coach (Jerry) Kill told him, ‘We don't trust you as a football player,'" Limegrover said. "‘We don't trust you to play every down. We don't trust you that you're going to do what you need to do to protect our quarterback if we're throwing the football and you're in there at tailback.' 
"When you don't have that trust, you can't play. So as good a physical athlete and running back he is -- he's got great skills -- there's more to it. That light bulb has definitely gone on with him."
Entering this season, Kirkwood appeared the likeliest of Minnesota's running backs to become the school's first 1,000-yard rusher since 2006. He came close last year, finishing the season with 926 yards. 
Eight games later, Kirkwood has just 80 yards on 32 carries, while Cobb is now the Gophers' only realistic shot at a 1,000-yard back. He's 385 yards shy of the millennium mark with four regular-season games remaining, plus a bowl game. After spending nearly all of the 2012 season on the sideline, rushing for 1,000 yards never seemed a realistic option for Cobb. 
But if he can continue to stay the course, the now-mature running back has a chance to once again make the most of his opportunity.
"You really don't worry about the stats, but if it happens, it happens. It'd be a great honor," Cobb said of reaching 1,000 yards. "Really, that's just a group reward because you can't get the yards by yourself. The O-line has been doing a great, great job of making me look good. If it comes, I'd definitely be proud and definitely celebrate it as a team. But I'd be more satisfied with four more -- or five more -- wins."


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