Tag: Tez Johnson

Dan Lanning offers injury update on Tez Johnson following Week 10 win over Michigan

What we know so far about Oregon Ducks WR Tez Johnson’s injury against Michigan.

Tez Johnson, the top wide receiver for the Oregon Ducks, suffered what could be a long-term injury in the first quarter of Oregon’s Week 10 game against Michigan. After catching a short pass from Dillon Gabriel on the Ducks’ opening drive, Johnson was tackled while going out-of-bounds and landed hard on his right shoulder. Johnson was slow to get up before jogging back to the Oregon sideline clutching his shoulder.

Tez Johnson injury update

After spending a few minutes in the injury tent on Oregon’s sideline, Johnson headed to the Oregon locker room midway through the first quarter. He remained in the locker room until around the 10-minute mark in the second quarter, when he returned to the sideline in street clothes.

How long will Johnson be out?

We don’t yet know the extent of Johnson’s injury. After the game, coach Dan Lanning said the team was waiting to find out more information.

“Still figuring it out. I don’t have any details right now,” said Lanning. “He wasn’t available to come back into the game.”

When Johnson returned to the sideline in street clothes, CBS sideline reporter Jenny Dell raised concerns about his collarbone or a separated shoulder. Both could lead to an extensive recovery time.

If those are the two options, Duck fans will hope for the latter, which, on average, has a significantly shorter recovery period. If it is a broken collarbone, the recovery time could be 8 to 12 weeks, if not longer.

Oregon Wide Receiver depth chart

Johnson is the Ducks’ No. 1 wide receiver, but Oregon has quality players backing him up. Its WR depth chart looks like this behind Johnson.

  • No. 7 Evan Stewart
  • No. 14 Justius Lowe
  • No. 1 Traeshon Holden
  • No. 11 Jeremiah McClellan
  • No. 13 Jurrion Dickey

After Johnson’s injury, Oregon’s wide receiver room stepped up, but Traeshon Holden and Evan Stewart were phenomenal.

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Traeshon Holden’s dependability earns him the Ducks Wire Player of the Game

Oregon Ducks wide receiver Traeshon Holden’s stellar performance makes him the Ducks Wire Player of the Game.

Although the Oregon Ducks beat the Michigan Wolverines by 21 points in Week 10, this felt like one of Oregon’s grittiest wins of the season. And on the road in a hostile environment, when injuries were frequent, several depth players stepped up for the Ducks, propelling them to a win.

One of those players to step up was wide receiver Traeshon Holden. At the beginning of the season, I would’ve hesitated to call Holden a “depth player,” but since his ejection against Ohio State for spitting on an opponent, he has not had the same role in the offense. This weekend, Holden was the go-to guy, and it makes him the Ducks Wire Player of the Game.

Holden finished the game with 6 catches (his highest total of the season) for 149 yards (his career high). Oregon’s top WR Tez Johnson was injured early in the first quarter and didn’t return, which is part of why Holden was so involved.

Holden didn’t get in the endzone for Oregon, but he still showed up in big moments. In the second quarter, Holden got open in the middle of the field and took Gabriel’s pass for 38 yards on 3rd and 1. Oregon went on to score on that drive, making the score 21-10. On the Ducks’ next drive, Holden caught another long pass, taking the Oregon to goalline where they’d score on the next play.

In the fourth quarter, with the Wolverines still in striking distance, Oregon needed to move the sticks to take back some momentum. On a 3rd and 5 situation, Gabriel hit Holden on a slant for a big first down. A few plays later, on another third down, Holden hauled in another long ball to ice the game for the Ducks.

That 47-yard catch and run was Holden’s final catch of the day. He finished with three third-down conversions and three 35+ yard receptions.

It’s unclear how severe Johnson’s injury is or how long he’ll be out. If he’s not back soon, Oregon will need Holden and the Ducks’ other WRs to step up, and Holden’s performance today should instill confidence in everyone.

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Tez Johnson ruled out vs Michigan Wolverines: Latest news on Oregon WR

What we know so far about Oregon Ducks WR Tez Johnson’s injury against Michigan.

Tez Johnson, the top wide receiver for the Oregon Ducks, suffered what could potentially be a long-term injury in the first quarter of Oregon’s Week 10 game against Michigan. After catching a short pass from Dillon Gabriel on the Ducks’ opening drive, Johnson was tackled out-of-bounds, landing hard on his right shoulder. Johnson was slow to get up before jogging back to the Oregon sideline clutching his shoulder.

Tez Johnson injury update

After spending a few minutes in the injury tent on Oregon’s sideline, Johnson headed to the Oregon locker room midway through the first quarter. He remained in the locker room until around the 10-minute mark in the second quarter, before returning to the sideline in street clothes.

How long will Johnson be out?

Johnson coming to the Oregon sideline in street clothes with a sling around his left arm is a clear indicator that he won’t return in this game. It’s unclear what his long-term status is, but CBS Sideline Reporter Jenny Dell raised concerns about Johnson’s collarbone, or a potentially separated shoulder, which could be a sign of a longer-term injury.

If those are the two options, Duck fans will be hoping for the latter, which would have a significantly shorter recovery period, on average. If it is a broke collarbone, the recovery time could be as long as 8-12 weeks, if not longer. We will wait to hear more from Dan Lanning both after the game and on Monday night during his weekly press conference.

Oregon Wide Receiver depth chart

Johnson is the Ducks’ No. 1 wide receiver, but Oregon has quality players backing him up. Their WR depth chart looks like this behind Johnson.

  • No. 7 Evan Stewart
  • No. 14 Justius Lowe
  • No. 1 Traeshon Holden
  • No. 11 Jeremiah McClellan
  • No. 13 Jurrion Dickey

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Dillon Gabriel’s electrifying performance makes him the Ducks Wire Player of Game

Oregon Ducks QB Dillon Gabriel’s epic performance earns him the Ducks Wire Player of the Game Award.

The Oregon Ducks won the biggest game in Autzen History. No. 2 Ohio State. No. 3 Oregon. Not anymore.

The Ducks defeated the Buckeyes 32-31, in a game that came down to the final moment. With six seconds to go and on the fringe of field goal range, Ohio State elected to run another play instead of kicking a field goal. Quarterback Will Howard couldn’t complete the play in time, and the clock ran out.

But before all that, fans at home and fans in Autzen Stadium were treated to a truly spectacular performance by Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel. It wasn’t perfect, as evidenced by his 68 completion percentage, but in the moments that matter, he rose up, to places we haven’t seen.

Oregon scored four touchdowns in the game, three of which Gabriel was responsible for. Two in the air, two on the ground. The two passing touchdowns were spectacular balls thrown first to Evan Stewart in the corner of the end zone, and second, a long bomb to the Ducks’ speed demon Tez Johnson.

Gabriel’s other touchdown? A 27-yard option play on which he made two Buckeyes miss and strolled into the end zone to put Oregon up 29-28 a minute into the fourth quarter, electrifying an already amped crowd.

Gabriel finished the game with 23/34 passes completed for 341 yards and two TDs. He rushed for 32 yards and the aforementioned — electrifying — touchdown. It isn’t even his best stat line this season, but it was certainly his best performance, and it’s earned him the Ducks Wire Player of the Game.

In a win like this, or any win for that matter, it doesn’t come down to one player. Tez Johnson, Evan Stewart, and Jordan James all had spectacular games. The front seven showed up in big moments, and the secondary won the game for the Ducks on the Buckeyes’ final drive. But this Saturday night, Dillon Gabriel shined the brightest among a team of stars.

3 Keys to Victory for Oregon’s Friday matchup against Michigan State

The three most importants things for the Oregon Ducks to do against the Michigan State Spartans.

The Oregon Ducks play their first game against a legacy Big Ten team, the Michigan State Spartans, this week in Autzen Stadium. It’s the Ducks’ first home game in almost three weeks, and it comes eight days before Oregon will host Ohio State for one of the most anticipated games of the year.

Excluding Boise State, the Michigan State Spartans will be the toughest opponent Oregon has faced so far this season. Coming into the season, I expected the Spartans to be one of the worst teams in the conference, but they’ve had a great start to their season.

Coaching for Michigan State is Jonathan Smith, the head coach of the Oregon State Beavers until this season. Smith has never coached a team to a win in Autzen Stadium, and Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks will be looking to continue that trend on Friday night. My three keys to Oregon securing their fifth victory of the season are listed below.

Plenty of explosive plays

Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

For much of the Oregon Ducks’ existence, an explosive offense has defined Oregon football, but that hasn’t been exactly what we’ve seen this season. Besides the long Tez Johnson touchdown, Oregon didn’t have many explosive plays against UCLA. A slow, methodical offense isn’t a bad thing, but with Oregon’s offensive personnel, particularly at quarterback and wide receiver, I want to see the Ducks getting in over the top.

Develop a strong run game early

Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

Running the ball well is key in any game, but for Oregon, a team whose offense leans on the run game, it is paramount to their success. Michigan State has had a decent run defense to start the season, allowing just over 100 ground yards per game. If the Ducks can figure out a way to be more productive running the football than the average Michigan State opponent, it will open up a lot for their offense.

Generate some extra possessions

The Ducks defense is matched up with quarterback Aidan Chiles this week, and although Chiles has had a strong start to his sophomore year, he hasn’t done a good job protecting the football. Through five weeks, Chiles leads the Big Ten in interceptions with eight, so this week, I want to see the Ducks creating plenty of turnovers, just like they did last week against UCLA.

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Tez Johnson named Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week

Tez Johnson was an easy decision for the Big Ten Player of the Week.

The Oregon Ducks‘ Saturday night win over the UCLA Bruins was an important one. The team moved to 4-0 on the year, they won their first Big Ten game ever, and for the second week in a row, they looked like the Ducks we expected to see from the outset this season — not the shaky team whose biggest kryptonite is the state of Idaho.

Senior wide receiver Tez Johnson is a big reason for the Oregon offense’s newfound cohesion. Johnson is averaging 77.8 yards and a touchdown on a stunning 8.25 catches per game this season. Against UCLA, Johnson had his best performance yet, with 11 catches for 121 yards and 2 TDs.

Johnson’s stellar performance, rightfully, made him the Big Ten’s Offensive Player of the Week. He shares this week’s title with Michigan running back Kalel Mullings, who rushed for 11 yards and 2 TDs on 24 carries this weekend against Minnesota.

The first talking point in conversations around Johnson is his speed. And while certain parts of Johnson’s game like his pass-catching and route-running are perhaps overlooked because of his quickness, his wheels were on full display on the first of his two touchdowns.

“I just outran them,” Johnson said of the play. “When I saw it, I put my hand up.

Johnson’s start to the season hasn’t just been impressive, it has the potential for history. Last season, Johnson’s 86 catches was an Oregon single-season record, and with 33 catches through four games, Johnson is on pace for 99 receptions in the regular season, with the potential for more in the postseason. If Johnson stays on that pace — or even a slightly slower one — he’ll shatter the Ducks’ career receptions record of 178 (set by Jeff Maehl) as well as his own single-season record.

The Oregon offense will have a greater challenge this week against Michigan State. While the Bruins allow the second-most yards per game in the Big Ten, the Spartans are in the top half of the conference. Johnson will likely be matched up with Charles Brantley, a top 10 CB in the Big Ten per PFF, but with Johnson’s skills, we can still expect a big game.

Top photos from Oregon Ducks romp in Pasadena for first Big Ten victory

Some of the best photos from the Oregon Ducks 34-13 win over the UCLA Bruins on Saturday night.

The Oregon Ducks went down to Pasadena and met UCLA in the Rose Bowl for their first Big Ten game because nothing says Big Ten football than the Ducks and Bruins on a Saturday night.

Despite the unusual circumstances these two teams played under, it was the Ducks that looked like a Big Ten powerhouse as they dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball and played ground-and-pound football for the second half to come out with a 34-13 victory.

Tez Johnson had 11 catches for 121 yards and two touchdowns to lead the way for the Ducks.

Oregon scored on its first five possessions and after taking a 28-10 halftime lead, the Ducks were conservative offensively for the final 30 minutes as they knew UCLA couldn’t rally with that meager offense. Jordan James wound up with 103 yards, mostly in the second half and the Ducks got out of dodge with the conference win.

Here are the best photos on what was a successful night in Pasadena.

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Photo Gallery: The Ducks send Autzen into a frenzy with 37-34 win over Boise

Photo Gallery: The Ducks send Autzen into a frenzy with Atticus Sappington’s 25-yard field goal and their 37-34 win over Boise State.

It wasn’t pretty. It wasn’t exactly how the Oregon Ducks planned it. But the bottom line says the Ducks are 2-0 after a 37-34 thrilling victory over Boise State Saturday night at Autzen Stadium.

After a first half where the Broncos led 20-14 at halftime, the final 30 minutes of action had everything in it with turnovers, a missed extra point, and explosion plays galore for both teams.

Fortunately, the Ducks had one more explosive play than Boise State. Tez Johnson’s 85-yard punt return and Noah Whittington’s 100-yard kickoff return kept the Ducks in it just enough to set up Atticus Sappington’s game-winning boot from 25 yards out.

Here are all the sights from a rollercoaster ride that was Oregon vs Boise State.

Photo Gallery: Ducks look ugly, but come out victorious against Idaho

Photo Gallery: It wasn’t how anyone pictured it, but the Ducks came out on top to defeat Idaho 24-14 Saturday at Autzen.

There was a crowd of nearly 58,000 fans that packed Autzen Stadium on Saturday to watch the season debut of the 2024 Oregon Ducks football team.

And what they saw had to shock a lot of them.

Bottom line is that Oregon won the game 24-14 over the Idaho Vandals, but it was ugly and a lot closer than it should have been. The Ducks came into the game as 44-point favorites and they didn’t come close to covering.

In fact, it was 14-7 Ducks at the end of third quarter and everyone was on the edge of their seats of benches. Fortunately, the Ducks prevailed as they ultimately outlasted the smaller Vandal team, but for a while there, things were a bit hairy.

On a 90-degree day and a closer score than predicted, it didn’t stop the Autzen faithful from having a grand ole time. Here are the best pictures from the 2024 season opener.

Trio of Oregon Ducks named Associated Press pre-season All-Americans

A trio of Oregon Ducks were named pre-season All-Americans by the Associated Press going into the 2024 season.

We know that the Oregon Ducks are expected to be one of the best teams in the nation this fall, contending for a national championship as new members of the Big Ten. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise to see that a trio of the Ducks’ best players have been named preseason All-Americans, according to the Associated Press.

On Monday, quarterback Dillon Gabriel, wide receiver Tez Johnson, and right tackle Ajani Cornelius were all named second-team pre-season All-Americans, per AP.

These honors are just the last of many for the three of these players, all of whom have been named to multiple awards watch lists leading into the season.

Johnson and Cornelius were named first-team preseason All-Americans by the Sporting News.

27 total players were selected for the first team offense and defense on Monday, 10 of which came from the SEC, with eight coming from the Big Ten. The Ohio State Buckeyes led the Big Ten with four players named to the first team.

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