When redshirt senior wide receiver Chris Autman-Bell suffered a leg injury at fall camp, there were just under three weeks until the Gophers’ contest with Ohio State. With no way to know whether Autman-Bell would be fully healed or not by week one, the Gophers prepared for life without their veteran receiver.
Without Autman-Bell, no wide receiver on the Gophers’ roster had more than 12 career receptions heading into Thursday’s season opener, so the door was wide open for any option to emerge.
As the highest-ranked recruit in the Minnesota wide receiver room (No. 70 in 2019 according to 247sports), it would make the most sense for Texas A&M redshirt sophomore transfer Dylan Wright to grow into a much larger role. Listed at 6-feet-3-inches and 215 pounds, Wright looks the part of an elite receiving option. With talented wide receivers in sophomore Daniel Jackson and redshirt sophomore Mike Brown-Stephens on the Gophers’ roster, Wright’s role was far from given as it had to be earned.
When Sept. 2 came around there was still no word on whether Autman-Bell would give it a go against the Buckeyes. When he was officially inactive for last week’s game, it was time to see which one of the Gophers’ talented trio of sophomore wide receivers would shine.
It seemed as if the Gophers were desperately missing Autman-Bell against Ohio State, as they opted to run the ball on each of their first nine plays and failed to complete a pass on the opening drive of the game.
The Gophers passing game started to find its rhythm on offensive drive No. 2 and Wright was the first Gophers wide receiver to find himself the box score. After reeling in two catches for 20 combined yards, the Gophers’ offense did not add any points, but you could tell that quarterback Tanner Morgan had found a connection with Wright.
Early in the second quarter, Wright blew the ballgame wide open, catching the first touchdown of the Gophers’ season as well as his Gophers career. After just over a quarter of play, Wright totaled three catches for 33 yards and a touchdown. It was clear that Morgan had found his favorite target.
“He [Wright] has got a really bright future on this football team,” Morgan said following the game. “To throw the ball to him is a gift every single day. We obviously have a lot of talent on the outside and I am proud of how a lot of guys stepped up and made plays today, especially No. 16.”
As the Gophers battled back and forth with the No. 4 ranked Buckeyes, Wright’s emergence as a No. 1 option dramatically helped the Gophers’ offense settle in without their veteran option in Autman-Bell.
Wright would leave his mark on the game with a team-high five catches for 57 receiving yards and one touchdown on the day. After not recording a single catch in his first two seasons with Texas A&M, Wright proved that he could play top-level college football at a very high level.
“He [Wright] made big-time catches, those were contested catches,” Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck said.
The Gophers hope to have Autman-Bell back from injury when they take on Miami (OH) in week two, but Wright has proven that he deserves a role on this football team.
