Gophers leading rusher Rodney Smith is progressing toward playing Saturday against Illinois at TCF Bank Stadium, coach Tracy Claeys said Wednesday.
"Rodney moved around at practice today, so he's probable right now I would say with the way things are going," Claeys said.
Smith suffered an ankle injury in a 28-14 loss to Ohio State on Nov. 7, and he missed last week's 40-35 loss to No. 5 Iowa. The freshman running back has 133 carries for 550 yards and a touchdown in nine games.
Claeys said he would know Thursday how well Smith reacted to practicing.