Tez Johnson was a man on a mission in Oregon’s Big Ten Championship Game vs. Penn State. As a result, the veteran wide receiver will get to take home some extra hardware from Indianapolis.

After the game was over, Johnson was officially named the B1G Championship MVP for his efforts vs. the Nittany Lions. He ended the game with 181 receiving yards, setting a new career-high and a record for the B1G Championship.

Those numbers led all players in the game, and it is the 2nd-most catches for a game in Johnson’s career. No other player on Oregon’s roster had more than 3 catches with Johnson the true go-to receiver for Dillon Gabriel, including on a 48-yard touchdown in the 3rd quarter.


Johnson admitted it was an intense environment after the game but not one he’s unaccustomed to with the way Oregon practices:

“It was very intense, but we go through practices like that every Tuesday. So to me, it was just like a normal Tuesday practice,” Johnson described.

The veteran receiver also acknowledged a lot of grit to come back from his midseason injury:

“It takes a lot of grit but I knew I had good faith behind me in my teammates and God,” said Johnson. “Without my teammates I’m nothing, and without God I’m nothing… words can’t even explain how I feel right now.”

Getting the B1G Championship was the first major goal for Oregon, but Johnson’s performance is also reassuring for the Ducks. He showed no lingering issues from his midseason injury and was unguardable for much of the evening.

Now, Oregon can wait for Selection Sunday as the clear No. 1 seed as the rest of the teams wait to see how the CFP committee views their positioning.