DJ Johnson emerges as unsung hero for Oregon Ducks

There were plenty of questions surrounding the status of DJ Johnson at the start of the season.

The senior tight end missed the first week of preseason camp, and details on his whereabouts were thin. Had he transferred? Was he injured? Was he simply buried on the depth chart behind Oregon’s plethora of young, talented tight ends?

Well, on Saturday, Johnson reminded fans that he is still very much an impact player for the Oregon Ducks — in more ways than one.

Johnson delivered massive contributions for the Ducks in all facets of the game in their 35-28 win over Ohio State in Columbus. In the fourth quarter, with just over two minutes to go, Johnson caught an 11-yard pass on 3rd-and-3 to move the sticks and take some precious time off the clock.

Then, six plays later, Johnson lined up on defense. He tore into the Ohio State backfield and sacked quarterback C.J. Stroud on the final play of the game to secure Oregon’s win.

“Tremendous impact,” Oregon coach Mario Cristobal said. “Completely unselfish player. … We’re just really appreciative of him — he was one of the players of the game for us.”

Johnson arrived to Oregon as a sophomore transfer from Miami in 2017 and had some strong contributions as a defensive end early in his Duck career. Last season, though, Johnson converted to tight end and flourished. He caught three touchdowns and provided a physical presence at the position.

Cristobal said Johnson got third-down work with the defense in the week leading up to the Ohio State game. But it was still a lot to ask of any player to be physically and mentally prepared to play both positions.

If Johnson hadn’t made those two late-game plays in Columbus, it’s possible the Ducks would not have won the game. But he also contributed far more than just those two moments.

“It’s easy to talk about being a two-way player, but being a two-way player is one of the most challenging things you can do as a football player,” Cristobal said. “On some of the other plays where he didn’t get the ball, or didn’t make a sack, the guy was throwing his body around, being really physical at the point of attack. … He really played an excellent game.”

Johnson said that because he put in work on both sides of the ball during he practice, he assumed that he was going to get the chance to contribute on both sides at Ohio State.

Prior to his sack of Stroud, it had been more than two years since he had last delivered a sack in a game.

“If I had an opportunity to help the team, I wanted to attack it” Johnson said.

Johnson doesn’t recall when exactly the coaching staff approached him about pulling double-duty, but said that there have been constant talks about getting him involved on offense, defense and special teams.

He simply told Cristobal and co. that he wanted to help the Ducks however he could.

“I was definitly always still comfortable with it,” Johnson said of playing defense. “It wasn’t like something that was super taxing on my mind or body.

“There’s definitely a remembrance to it.”