Exceptional Ohio State wide receivers bring best out of Gophers counterparts

Ohio State's Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson left no doubt they were the best wide receivers on the field Thursday night, but the Gophers weren't about to be left out of the conversation.

With his top returning wideout Chris Autman-Bell sidelined with a lower leg injury, P.J. Fleck had to rely on a handful of unproven receivers to pick up the slack in Thursday's 45-31 loss to the No. 4 Buckeyes.

"Hopefully, we will have him back next week," Fleck said of Autman-Bell. "But we need to be a complete wide receiving corps."

In the first half, Texas A&M transfer Dylan Wright outgained Olave and Wilson combined with three catches for 33 yards to help Minnesota lead 14-10 at halftime.

Autman-Bell was supposed to be the next in line to follow in the footsteps of Rashod Bateman and Tyler Johnson, who both went from Gopher standouts to the NFL.

The 6-3, 215-pound Wright looked the part physically, and he gained the trust of quarterback Tanner Morgan after making plays throughout fall camp this year. That chemistry showed on the field Thursday.

Morgan's first three completed passes were to Wright, including a 13-yard touchdown on a left-corner fade to cut Ohio State's lead to 10-7 in the second quarter.

Wright, who finished with five catches for 57 yards, was the only Gophers wide receiver to catch a pass until fourth quarter. Daniel Jackson and Mike Brown-Stephens then got into the action, combining for five catches for 92 yards.

Tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford's 44 yards receiving Thursday were more than he had in his first three seasons combined (29).

Still, the night belonged to Olave and Wilson, who both lived up to their preseason All-America and projected first-round pick status. After a slow start they would make their presence felt in the second half to help Ohio State pull away.

C.J. Stroud looked like a rookie quarterback early with errant throws to his go-to threats, but he eventually just let Olave, and Wilson do most of the work.

Stroud connected with Olave on a drag route deep in Gophers territory early in the third quarter that turned into a 38-yard TD to make it 17-14 Buckeyes.

Answering Minnesota's next scoring drive, the speedy 6-foot Wilson flew by the secondary on Stroud's 56-yard touchdown pass to give Ohio State a 23-21 advantage at 5:12 in the third quarter.

Olave, who finished with a team-high 114 yards receiving, sealed the win with a 61-yard touchdown catch with 4:39 left in the game. His tiptoe routine on the sideline had to make NFL scouts in attendance blush.

Two seasons ago, Fleck had two sure-fire NFL talents like Olave and Wilson at receiver when Bateman and Johnson were teammates. They're now playing for the Baltimore Ravens and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Gophers are going with a WR-by-committee approach, especially with Autman-Bell banged up. But they know more about those personnel now after making plays against Ohio State.