Gophers without Cody Lindenberg, Bryce Williams against Eastern Michigan

Minnesota Golden Gophers celebrate making a stop during the college football game between the North Western Wildcats and Minnesota Gophers on November 12th, 2022, at Huntington Bank in Minneapolis, MN.  ((Photo by Bailey Hillesheim/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images))

The University of Minnesota football team opens non-conference action Saturday night against Eastern Michigan at Huntington Bank Stadium, and they’ll be without Cody Lindenberg and Bryce Williams.

Both were listed as out on the team’s availability report issued by the Big Ten two hours before kickoff. Lindenberg will miss his second straight game after suffering a leg injury in practice. He was second on the team in tackles last season, and is one of the defensive leaders at linebacker.

Williams was the No. 2 running back behind Sean Tyler in last week’s 13-10 season-opening win over Nebraska. He had six carries for 14 yards. It’s not known what Williams’ injury is, or when he got hurt.

With Williams out, Tyler and Darius Taylor are likely to get a bulk of the carries in the run game. Tyler had 10 carries for 41 yards in his Minnesota debut last week after transferring from Western Michigan.

Wide receiver Chris Autman-Bell is listed as questionable for Saturday night’s game. Autman-Bell, who is still working his way back from knee surgery last year, played one snap against the Cornhuskers before watching the rest of the game from the sideline.

The Gophers are looking to go 2-0 with a win over Eastern Michigan.

SportsMinnesota Golden Gophers