Is Tez Johnson playing today vs Penn State? Oregon wide receiver status explored

Wide receiver Tez Johnson and the No. 1 Oregon Ducks are set to play the No. 3-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions in the Big 10 Championship Game on Saturday. While there is much to look forward to in the game, injuries will be a factor for both teams.

Notably, Johnson suffered a shoulder injury earlier in the season, and there was concern that he would not be available for the championship season.

However, after missing two games, he returned for the final game of the regular season, a 49-21 win over Washington. Johnson did not aggravate his injury and is expected to play against Penn State on Saturday.

Tez Johnson injury update

Tez Johnson returned from his shoulder injury against Washington last Saturday. In his return, he had three receptions for 36 yards. He spoke about the injury after the game and what it meant for him to return.

"It wasn't nothing," Johnson said. "I think it was a little veteran's break. It wasn't that much of an injury. I'm back now, though."

"I mean, at the time it was scary, obviously. I had it before when I was at Troy. I knew exactly what it was. It's just more scary this time. I think that my biggest concern was I never was going to play again type of thing."

"But obviously that's not the case. Give the glory to God right there. The whole entire process, thankful for the medical staff.... Big shout out for them because they stayed patient with me," he added.

What happened to Tez Johnson?

The Oregon wide receiver suffered a shoulder injury early in the game against Michigan in early November. He left the game after taking a hard hit and returned to the sideline later in the game with his right arm in a sling. He was then forced to miss two games while he recovered.

Fortunately for the Ducks, they had an open week during that stretch, so he did not need to miss an extra game.

When will Tez Johnson return?

Johnson returned to action last Saturday when the Oregon Ducks defeated the Washington Huskies in the regular season finale. The wide receiver was excited to return for the Washington game specifically.

"When I knew I was coming back, it was, and I knew it was against UW, I kind of was like, oh yeah, there's going to be a war right here."

No report indicates that Tez Johnson aggravated his injury against Washington, so he should be available against Penn State.