Less than five minutes into the Week 9 matchup between the No. 1 Oregon Ducks and the then-No. 20 Illinois Fighting Illini, quarterback Dillon Gabriel connected with wide receiver Tez Johnson who streaked down and across the field to open up scoring for Oregon.
Gabriel, who had a seemingly infinite window to find his wideout, connected perfectly with Johnson, who was at least two yards ahead of the closest defensive back.
While Johnson was just nine yards past the line of scrimmage when he caught the ball, he earned 22 yards after the catch and all the way from the right hash marks to the left pylon to score the touchdown.
The game-opening touchdown got the ball rolling for the Ducks, who ended up scoring 35 points in the first half, and earned the spot as the Big Ten's Play of the Week for Week 9.
Tez Johnson is so electric ⚡️
— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) October 28, 2024
The star's highlight TD on No. 1 @oregonfootball's opening drive is our Week 9 #B1GFootball 𝙋𝙡𝙖𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙚𝙚𝙠.
📍 @OldTrapper pic.twitter.com/5ErXBQJwdA
By the end of the game, Oregon had subbed out nearly every single starter, including Johnson and Gabriel. However, while he was still in the game, Johnson earned 102 receiving yards on 6 catches for 1 touchdown.
Gabriel had a stunning 298-yard passing game and earned an additional 5 yards on the ground. The Oregon quarterback scored four touchdowns in the first half and was eventually replaced by third-string QB Austin Novosad during the fourth quarter.
Already this season, Gabriel and Johnson have connected 63 times for 638 yards (10.1 yards per catch) and 8 touchdowns. Johnson leads the Ducks in receiving yards and touchdowns so far this year.
The Ducks are set to fly to Ann Arbor to take on the defending National Champions, the unranked Michigan Wolverines, in Week 10. Oregon and Michigan are scheduled to kick off at 12:30 p.m. PT on CBS.