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With a chance to secure the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff on the line, Oregon football showed out and all of its elite weapons were on display. Dan Lanning and the Ducks beat No. 3 Penn State in a shootout 45-37 to win the Big Ten Championship Game in their first season in the conference.
Oregon wide receiver Tez Johnson, who returned from injury last week against Washington, had his biggest night of the season and was one of the main reasons that Oregon could not be stopped on offense for a majority of the evening. Johnson finished with 11 catches for 181 yards and a touchdown and converted an under of huge third downs to move the chains. He was named the MVP of the game afterward.
Johnson's mother, Shamika Johnson, was in attendance to watch her sone play for just the second time this season. In the first game with her in attendance, Johnson got injured very early in the first quarter against Michigan. This time, the star receiver made a promise to his mom and the rest of his family that was in attendance, via Ryan Clarke of The Oregonian.
“I told them, this is the first game y’all coming to, I’ll give you all a show. I promise you that,” Johnson said, per Clarke. “For me, it was just, I don’t know if words can explain it, my mom, just seeing the tears in her eyes being able to watch me play on a stage like this.
“Just being able to get them to the game, words can’t explain. It’s something you dream about. And when that time happens and it’s being able to get checked off your bucket list, you don’t take it for granted.”
Oregon has plenty of time to rest after Big Ten title game victory
Oregon's win in the Big Ten title game all but locks up the No. 1 seed in the 12-team College Football Playoff and assures that it will have a first-round bye when the bracket is officially released.
This means that Oregon will not have to play another game until either New Year's Eve or New Year's Day, when it will likely play in the Rose Bowl out in California. This gives the Ducks a chance to get healthy and rest while they prepare for their quarterfinal opponent, whether it be Ohio State, Penn State, Tennessee or somebody else.
Oregon's defense struggled more than it has over the course of the season against Penn State, but the star-studded secondary came up with a pair of massive interceptions at critical moments to put their team in a position to win. On offense, Oregon's high-powered attack shredded the Penn State offense all night long, having plenty of success on the ground and through the air.
If that trend continues for Oregon, it will be extremely tough to beat when the playoff gets underway later this month. Nothing is guaranteed for the Ducks, but they are in as good of a position as anyone heading into the postseason.
