Oregon Ducks receiver and returner Tez Johnson earned Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week for his electric 85-yard punt return touchdown in last Saturday's 37-34 win over Boise State.
His 85-yard return was the fifth-longest in program history, and longest by a Duck since Jairus Byrd had an 87-yard return on Sept. 13, 2008. Johnson finished the game with 109 punt return yards, becoming the first Duck to surpass 100 yards in a game since Jevon Holland on Aug. 31, 2019.
The senior enters 2024 as one of the best receivers in the country. Last season, Johnson totaled more than 1,000 receiving yards as the Ducks dazzled to become the nation's No. 2 offense. Johnson's 2023 stats jump off the page: leading the power five with 727 yards after the catch and racking up 1,182 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns.
This season, Johnson and Oregon have big team goals in mind.
"Win a national championship," Johnson said in an exclusive interview with Oregon Sports Illustrated's Amaranthus. "Don't say it. Believe it. Let Ohio State get here and then let's show them what we're made of. Let's go to Michigan in front of 100,000 people and show them what we're made of."
Johnson also caught three passes in the game to go over 100 receptions in his Oregon career (16 games), and he leads the Ducks through two games with 15 total catches. Johnson broke the Oregonrecord for receptions in a single season in 2023, with 86 catches.
Looks like he is already on his way to another impressive season, this time catching passes from quarterback Dillon Gabriel instead of former Duck, and adopted brother, Bo Nix.
Johnson and Gabriel have quickly established on-field and off-field chemistry. Johnson says Gabriel is "one of the guys already."
Johnson has a personal goal to reach the NFL. The Oregon football program has not had a receiver drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft in decades... A stat that Johnson would like to change.
"That's definitely a goal for me," Johnson told Amaranthus. "I have the NFL logo on my wall, and a quote that says, 'To the one who believes, anything is possible.' I feel like if you believe you can achieve anything, including getting drafted in the first round as a receiver like me. I work hard and dedicate my life to it."
But before all that... Next up, Johnson and the Ducks will face in-state rival Oregon State. Oregon vs. Oregon State kicks off at 12:30 p.m. PT on Saturday, September 14th on FOX.
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