After joining the Big Ten a little more than four months ago, the Oregon Ducks are Big Ten Champions. Their undefeated season continued on Saturday with a 45-37 win over the No. 3 Penn State Nittany Lions — one of the best teams in the Big Ten over the last 15 years.
For all four quarters, the game was an offensive battle, and for the Ducks, quarterback Dillon Gabriel and wide receiver Tez Johnson were instrumental in Oregon’s win. Johnson’s 11 receptions for 181 yards and a touchdown make him the Ducks Wire Player of the Game. His 181 yards are a career-high
“It was just like a normal Tuesday practice for me,” Johnson said to CBS sideline reporter Jenny Dell on the field after the game.
Of his 11 catches, Johnson’s most crucial came off of a skinny post route midway through the third quarter. After escaping the pocket, Dillon Gabriel threw to a wide-open Tez Johnson, who took the ball 48 yards for a score. After a bad end to the second half, that TD swung all of the momentum back towards Oregon, propelling them to a Big Ten Championship.
That play was spectacular, but all 10 of Johnson’s catches were impactful. With sure hands and lighting quick feet, Johnson is nearly impossible to stop once he has the ball.
Johnson missed almost three full games at the end of Oregon’s season with a shoulder injury, ending what could’ve been a Biletnikoff Award-winning season. In 10 regular season games plus the Big Ten Championship, Johnson averaged 7 catches, 78.7 yards, and 0.91 TDs per game.
The Oregon Ducks will now have several weeks to prepare for their next matchup — their first College Football Playoff game in 10 years. The first round of the playoff will take place on Dec. 20th and 21st, and the second round — when Oregon will play their first game — will take place over New Year’s.
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