Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel got one of his favorite targets back last Saturday in tight end Terrance Ferguson, who missed the previous 2 games against Purdue and Illinois but returned against Michigan after having surgery on his appendix and showed glimpses of his old self.

The senior caught 2 passes for 34 yards in the win over the Wolverines, not exactly bad when you’re coming back from appendicitis and being thrust back into the offense of the No. 1 team in college football. Ferguson spoke to reporters on Tuesday about his ordeal the past few weeks, including when he first felt he needed the surgery.

“I kind of woke up and had some pain in that area when I got here in the morning,” recalled Ferguson. “After practice, just kind of felt a little weird. Honestly, it was a good thing because there were no other symptoms. We decided to get a CAT scan, and it showed up on there. I’m just blessed I didn’t get on the plane to even go to Purdue.”

While missing the games at Purdue on Oct. 18 and at home against Illinois on Oct. 26, Ferguson was going through the process to make a November return, which is what happened last Saturday in Ann Arbor.

“Just letting the incisions heal in the abdominal wall just from the surgery. It’s not so much having to rehab anything, just taking the time off, and that’s the hardest thing as a football player is just sitting around, not doing too much,” explained Ferguson.

Ferguson, who has 22 catches for 355 yards this season, was encouraged by his performance last week.

“I thought I played well. Honestly, I felt a little rested up, so felt pretty fresh,” he said. “Knocked off some rust, obviously, hadn’t blocked or done anything like that for the past two weeks, so just kind of getting back to that. But I felt I played well.”

Ferguson hopes to build on last week this Saturday night, as Oregon hosts Maryland in its quest to get to 10-0.