Oregon receiver Tez Johnson is expected to miss some time due to a shoulder injury suffered in the Week 10 win over Michigan (38-17). However, the injury is not expected to be season-ending, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reports.
Johnson suffered the injury during the Ducks’ opening possession on Saturday and returned to the sideline in plain clothes in the first half with his right arm in a sling. He had one reception for 11 yards in the game.
“I hate it for him because I love the competitor that he is,” quarterback Dillon Gabriel said via ESPN about Johnson being injured after Saturday’s game. “He’s a guy who loves the game and expresses his passion. He loves the game of football. So it’s hard, and you hate it for him.”
Oregon has three games remaining on its regular season schedule, so it’s not clear if Johnson is expected to return sometime in the next four weeks or if he will be available during a likely run in the College Football Playoff.
The hope is that Johnson can return during the Big Ten championship game, scheduled for Dec. 7, according to Ducks Wire. That would be a recovery period of four weeks.
“This guy is a winner, in every bit of that word — what it means to be a winner,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said after the Michigan game.
“Tez is that for us, and we always talk about opportunities, you know, the next mountain,” he added. “He is an unselfish player who plays with crazy passion and energy, and we certainly would have loved to have him there tonight.”
Johnson is the Ducks’ leading receiver this season with 64 receptions for 649 yards and eight touchdowns. In two seasons at Oregon, he has 150 catches for 1,831 yards and 18 touchdowns. Johnson played his first three college seasons at Troy, catching 141 passes for 1,809 yards and eight scores.
