Oregon WR Boosted Team to No. 1: ‘Walk With Faith’
By Movieguide® Contributor
On Sunday, the College Football Playoff committee released the first-ever 12-team pool, and Oregon football claimed the number one spot.
“The undefeated Ducks (13-0) have been ranked No. 1 since October, and in the Big Ten Championship Game on Saturday night, they ousted No. 3 Penn State, 45-37, to win the conference title in their first season in the league. The MVP of the top-five showdown was Oregon wide receiver Tez Johnson,” Sports Spectrum reported.
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On Saturday evening, Johnson caught 11 passes for a total of 181 yards, a career-high for him. He also secured a 48-yard touchdown in the third quarter.
“Being able to get an opportunity to play at Oregon, God don’t write a better story than that,” the athlete said after their win. “He orders our steps, and you gotta walk with faith. Faith is everything within this game because obviously we wouldn’t be playing this game if it weren’t for God.”
This game was special for Johnson because his biological family was in the stands.
“I told them, ‘This is the first game y’all coming to, I’m gonna give y’all a show. I promise you that,’” Johnson said. “… My mom, just seeing the tears in her eyes being able to watch me play on a stage like this. My family has never seen it before. 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.”
Johnson grew up in a neighborhood filled with violence. Shamika, his mom, decided to move her family across town so her children wouldn’t be surrounded by gangs and violence.
While at Pinson Valley High School, Johnson met Bo Nix, now the Denver Broncos’ quarterback, and his father, Pat, the head coach of the high school team.
He and Nix grew close, but Johnson struggled with his grades and got into fights.
That’s when the Nix family stepped in. In 2018, Johnson moved in with them, and it changed his life.
READ MORE: HOW OREGON DUCKS PLAYERS BO NIX, TEZ JOHNSON BECAME BROTHERS: ‘HE’S FAMILY’
Shamika told the Oregonian, “I appreciate them to the fullest. Because I feel like if [Tez] wasn’t with them, he probably wouldn’t have gone to Troy or Oregon.”
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