Gophers wide receiver Chris Autman-Bell, who has been battling a lower leg injury since mid-August, suited up for warmups for Thursday night's season opener against No. 4 Ohio State, and it appeared that he might try to play.

But when the team returned to the field to start the game, he was in sweatpants, jersey and no helmet, his night over.

Coach P.J. Fleck said Autman-Bell should be ready to return for next Saturday's game against Miami (Ohio). The senior from Illinois is the team's leading returning pass catcher with 78 career receptions for 1,250 yards and six touchdowns.

In addition, senior wideout Clay Geary sat out the game because of an undisclosed injury.

Howden's injury hurts

Gophers safety Jordan Howden was helped off the field with 8:12 left in the second quarter because of a leg injury and later walked to the locker room. The defense struggled to replace him.

"He's the quarterback back there, and our medical team pulled him out for his safety and I'm all good with that," Fleck said. "But that put us in a little bit of a bind in the middle of that game, especially with some matchup issues.

"We usually have Michael Dixon in there, and Michael Dixon's missed some time and finally came back this week. But again we're going to get healthy. We're going to learn from this and keep going."

Prominent visitors

The stars came out Thursday night.

Former Minnehaha Academy and Gonzaga guard Jalen Suggs, former Gophers wide receiver Rashod Bateman and Gophers wrestler and Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson posed for pictures together on the field before the game.

Bateman is in his first year with the Baltimore Ravens, but he's out because of a groin injury that required surgery. Suggs, who was drafted No. 5 overall by the Orlando Magic in this summer's NBA draft, was recruited and offered a scholarship by both the Gophers and Ohio State as a high school quarterback.

In addition, former Gophers running back David Cobb was in the press box as a scout for the Carolina Panthers.

Etc.

Ohio State was missing some players, too. Starting center Harry Miller, starting cornerback Cameron Brown and defensive tackle Jerron Cage, who usually rotates in, were unavailable because of undisclosed reasons. Redshirt freshmen Luke Wyper and Ryan Watts started in place of Miller and Brown, respectively.
Kent State grad transfer Matthew Trickett, who was named the starting kicker during an intense battle in fall camp, made the first field goal of his Gophers career count with a 46-yarder with 10:39 left in the fourth quarter.
Gophers sophomore Mark Crawford opened with two punts that pinned Ohio State within its 10-yard line.
Dragan Kesich handled kickoff duties for the Gophers and boomed five of his six kicks for touchbacks.
The Gophers started seven offensive linemen for their first offensive play: Curtis Dunlap, John Michael Schmitz, Conner Olson, Axel Ruschmeyer, Sam Schlueter, Blaise Andries and Daniel Faalele. They had other plays with six linemen and also used the wildcat formation frequently, mixing things up.
Former Gophers kicker Chip Lohmiller, who played for Minnesota from 1984-87, spoke to the team during Thursday morning's captains' breakfast. Lohmiller ranks third in program history in scoring and went on to a nine-year NFL career that included a Super Bowl title with Washington in 1992.
Fleck's weekly in-person radio show will be held at the Tipsy Steer and High Pines in Roseville, starting at noon on Tuesdays. Previously, the show was held at Joe Senser's in Roseville, which has closed.