EUGENE, Ore. — Following star receiver Tez Johnson's injury early in Oregon's win over Michigan last week, the team's other pass catchers were forced to step up without the team's leader in receptions, yards, and touchdowns.
Without Johnson in the lineup, seven other Ducks caught passes in No. 1 Oregon's 39-18 win over Maryland, including backup offensive lineman Gernorris Wilson's first-ever catch in a football game at any level — which of course went for a three-yard score.
"It wasn't just a moment for me, that was for the whole O-line honestly," Wilson said of his third-quarter touchdown. "That was for every big man out there, honestly man. That was for all the big guys out there but it was definitely a special moment."
Johnson has been a star in the slot for the Ducks in his two seasons in Eugene, lining up there on 87.6 percent of his snaps. Without him, Oregon was forced to change its personnel usage, relying more heavily on 12 (one running back and two tight ends) and 21 (two running backs and one tight end) personnel packages.
"Our tight end room is very experienced and we've got a lot of guys that can do different things," tight end Terrance Ferguson said. "I think that allows us to play in 12 personnel. Even in 12-open sets or getting inside to get big and run the ball."
Ferguson was the favorite target for quarterback Dillon Gabriel against the Terps, hauling in six of his team-leading 12 targets for 35 yards and a touchdown. The touchdown was the first by an Oregon tight ends this year. While his first score of the year would have been exciting regardless, the touchdown meant a little bit more coming from Gabriel, with the two quickly becoming friends following Gabriel's transfer from Oklahoma.
"It's been a long time coming," Ferguson said of his score. "It's been a drought for the tight end room and for us just to finally connect on a touchdown was an amazing experience. Dillon's doing stuff at an elite level so just to be a part of that, like Gernorris said even, he's doing stuff that no one's ever done. It was really nice to finally connect with Dillon in a game for a touchdown."
That "stuff" that Ferguson referred to as "no one's ever done" is scoring touchdowns, as Gabriel's pass to Wilson was the 179th total touchdown of his career, passing Case Keenum for the most in FBS history.
"It's been a long time coming to make it happen," Gabriel said of his touchdown to Ferguson. "Just his journey in the season and having to go through some adversity and come back and be so confident from what he went through. I'm happy for him and he's continued to build that back, his confidence, but we're doing that together and we're working at it."
Ferguson underwent an emergency appendectomy in the week leading up to Oregon's win over Purdue, missing that and the Illinois game before returning against Michigan.
Johnson's main replacement in the slot on Saturday was Justius Lowe, who caught four passes for 30 yards two weeks after scoring his first career touchdown in the Ducks' last home game against Illinois. Since stepping in after Traeshon Holden's ejection against Ohio State and subsequent benching against Purdue, Lowe has caught multiple passes in each of the last four games, totaling 14 receptions for 154 yards and a touchdown across that span.
"They've continued to respond in the right way," Gabriel said of his receivers. "I can do a better job of helping them in that sense. I don't have the stats here. I think there's a lot of things where I could've been better and helped them with that. I think when you look at those, creating completions, that all has to do with rhythm. I'll definitely have to look back and see how I can help them and how we can help each other."
Evan Stewart led the team with 55 yards on six receptions, taking in a drag route for a 17-yard touchdown to put the game away with just under four minutes remaining. The touchdown was Stewart's fifth of the season, setting a new career best for him after he had four a year ago for Texas A&M. Holden added two receptions for 30 yards, including a 20-yard contested catch over the middle of the field that set up Wilson's touchdown two plays later.
It wasn't all perfect for Oregon's pass-catchers on Saturday though, as a number of drops slowed down momentum early in the game.
"I thought we had some drops early on and I also think Dillon would tell you he could put the ball in better spots early on," head coach Dan Lanning said postgame. "That's something that we have to be able to execute and when you don't do that, that's gonna stall out some drives early which showed up."
The good news for Oregon is that Johnson was seen without a sling on the sideline after having his right arm in one upon exiting the Michigan game. Johnson suffered a shoulder injury but is expected to return this season. Gary Bryant Jr. also made his return to the field for the first time since last season's Fiesta Bowl. He played a limited number of offensive snaps and handled punt returning duties — previously Johnson's responsibility — after Stewart muffed Maryland's first punt of the day.
"When someone goes down, you have to step up, that's no matter what it is," Ferguson said. "A guy like Tez produces so much for this offense. He has for the past couple of years. So when he goes down, everybody has to step up. That's next man up mentality. I think you seen that last week with Traeshon and then just everyone has done a great job — in the receiver room especially — of stepping up when Tez went down and trying to fill in for him."
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