Despite Oregon’s big win in The Big House over the Michigan Wolverines on Saturday afternoon, Duck fans were concerned with only one thing after the 38-17 victory: the status of star wide receiver Tez Johnson.
Since the Ducks’ WR1 went to the locker room with an apparent shoulder injury on the first drive of the game and returned in street clothes with a sling on his right arm, there have been worries Johnson could miss extensive time.
While the CBS broadcast speculated the injury could be a broken collarbone or a separated shoulder, it seems likely Johnson will miss time, potentially even into the postseason.
That idea was supported on Sunday morning when Johnson took to social media and posted a concerning update to his Instagram story. The wordless post contained a picture of him on the ground with a broken-heart emoji, so it’s hard to imagine that means good news.
After the game, head coach Dan Lanning was unable to provide any updates, so we will not know anything more until Monday night when he has his weekly press conference. Even then, it’s unlikely we will know for sure how long Johnson will be out.
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If you care to look on the bright side for the Ducks, this is a position where they can likely sustain an injury and still have significant production. With Evan Stewart, Traeshon Holden and Justius Lowe proving productive this year, Oregon’s passing game should remain strong with quarterback Dillon Gabriel playing at a Heisman level.
On top of that, the Ducks’ remaining regular-season schedule — Maryland, at Wisconsin, and Washington — doesn’t present any major challenges. After that, though, a likely Big Ten championship game and potential College Football Playoff run would be tougher without Johnson on the field.
We wait to learn more about the injury diagnosis, and the recovery timeline in the next 48 hours.
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