[Tuck4Bama]

Former Gophers star Marion Barber III calls his younger brother now and then to ask about the current running backs at the University of Minnesota.

"I can always hear him say, who's wearing my number these days?" said Gophers senior strong safety Dominique Barber about his brother, now a standout with the Dallas Cowboys.

Nobody is wearing Marion's No. 21 at tailback, but freshman Duane Bennett is wearing ex-Gophers star and current New England Patriots back Laurence Maroney's No. 22.

Bennett's raw ability might make some fans recall the days of Maroney and Barber, but even with other talented backs such as sophomore Jay Thomas and senior Amir Pinnix, the Gophers' rushing numbers have declined. Minnesota is on pace to go without a 1,000-yard rusher for the first time since 1998. Minnesota used to be one of the nation's most dominant running teams and set an NCAA record with two 1,000-yard rushers each season from 2003-05.
"We definitely don't think that tradition is gone," said Thomas, who could be the only healthy tailback for Minnesota (1-5, 0-3 Big Ten) this week against Northwestern (3-3, 1-2). "You've seen Duane can make plays. You've seen Amir make plays before. He rushed for over 1,000 yards last year. It's definitely still here. We just need to pull it together."

Minnesota Gophers missing a dynamic rushing game this season