Oregon Ducks College Football Pregame Quote, 12/30/2023

Q. The nature of college football, guys don’t stay forever. What about Austin Jones? If he has to play for whatever reason, what gives you confidence that he’s going to be able to step into that role?

TEZ JOHNSON: Austin can definitely do it. He shows up in practice every day. He can make a throw just as good as Michael Penix, he can do the same exact thing. When it’s time and his number is called, he’s going to be ready. Us as receivers are going to make him look good no matter what.

Q. Are you feeling any pressure to stand up and be the new number one on Monday now that Troy [Franklin] is not playing? You clearly got the numbers to back up what you can and can’t do.

TEZ JOHNSON: All of the success I’ve had is because of the team. Me as a leader, I feel like I have to step up and be a leader. But the number one receiver is not really a number one in our room. It’s a group of hot boys that’s going to go to every game and have each other’s back.

Me just being a number one receiver is not because that’s what I want to be. It’s a group collectively. So we are the number one receivers. We, not just me.

Q. What is your decision-making process over the next two weeks?

TEZ JOHNSON: I’m just focusing on Liberty right now. Just watching film on them. We’re just locked in. Just taking this game one step at a time like we did all season.

Q. You came from a smaller school. Can you put yourself into that Liberty locker room and see the mindset that they’re coming in? That chip on the shoulder, that attitude they have, that kind of like an us against the world mentally?

TEZ JOHNSON: Yes, when I was at Troy we lost to them. If I’m playing Liberty, I’m going to come out like it’s a championship game. Which they are. It’s the Fiesta Bowl. Anybody in the Group of Five school that goes to the Fiesta Bowl, they’re going to be coming out swinging every time.

I know that because I played in that conference. They’re a really good team. I take nothing from them. They’ve done really good things as a team. They have a really good coaching staff. I played them. I know what they’re capable of. But we can’t overlook them, which we’re not.

Q. And now that you’re in the locker room, how do you command that? Do you have to do something internally to combat or do you just stay the course?

TEZ JOHNSON: You stay the course. Treat them like they’re Washington or somebody, and you go out and play your heart out. Like they’re any other big team.