Oregon
Oregon Ducks, Washington Injury Report: Tez Johnson, Jordan Burch, Marcus Harper II
EUGENE — The Oregon Ducks remain the No. 1 team in the nation for the sixth consecutive week. The Ducks are 11-0 and aiming for their 12th win of the season on Saturday against the Washington Huskies in a highly anticipated rivalry game. However, injuries have plagued the Ducks in recent weeks.
Receiver Tez Johnson, defensive end Jordan Burch, offensive lineman Marcus Harper II, and others have missed time this season. While some players may be ready to return on Saturday, there has been no official confirmation from Oregon coach Dan Lanning, and updates won’t be available until the official injury report is released before the game.
Tez Johnson
Tez Johnson announced on Tuesday that he may be ready to return to the field after sustaining a shoulder injury in Oregon’s victory over Michigan on November 2. The wide receiver shared the news on his Instagram story, posting a photo of himself dancing at Autzen Stadium with the caption, “He’s back.”
Following the injury, Oregon coach Dan Lanning addressed the situation, stating that surgery was not anticipated for Johnson.
“(Tez Johnson) will be down in the near future, but I do anticipate getting Tez back,” Lanning said at the time.
Johnson’s return is expected for the upcoming game against Washington. However, when asked about the Instagram post, Lanning said:
“Yeah, I’m not going to talk about injuries. You guys will see them on the field when they’re ready to go.”
Jordan Burch
Ducks pass rusher Jordan Burch has missed four games this season due to injuries, with the first occurring during practice before the matchup against Ohio State.
“I was doing a drill, my foot got stuck in the ground, and I had a little injury. It took a minute to figure out what was going on. Once they told me what it was and that I’d be out for a few weeks, I knew I’d be fine,” Burch explained. “I was a little sad, but I knew my guys had my back. I didn’t have any worries about what was going to happen.”
Burch suffered a second injury—an ankle issue—during Oregon’s 39–18 victory over Maryland and was sidelined for the Wisconsin game. Although the full extent of the injury remains unclear, Lanning shared ahead of the Wisconsin matchup that Burch had been participating in limited practice activities. This could signal his readiness for a return against Washington.
Marcus Harper II
Marcus Harper II, a fourth-year offensive lineman, sustained an apparent left knee injury during the final quarter of Oregon’s win over Michigan. He did not play in the following game against Wisconsin.
After the Michigan game, Coach Lanning expressed optimism about Harper’s recovery, stating that both Harper and Tez Johnson were expected to return this season. With an additional week of rest, Harper’s return for the Washington game seems likely.
“Neither one of those injuries are as bad as maybe they appeared on the field,” Lanning said. “I think we’ll have those guys back, but I don’t know when that looks like right now. But we’ll do what we always do: take care of the players and what’s in the best interest of them, and both those guys are fighting to get back as soon as we can have them.”
Jahlil Florence
Jahlil Florence, a junior defensive back, was a nine-game starter for the Ducks last season, but his 2023 season was cut short due to a knee injury sustained in November against Arizona State. Florence has been listed as out for every game so far this season. However, a post by the defensive back on social media has fans speculating that Florence may be ready to return to the field soon. He has also been participating in practice over the past few weeks.
⏰⏰.. pic.twitter.com/Ln0ynlDgb9
— Jahlil florence (@jahlilflo) November 27, 2024
Matthew Bedford
Offensive lineman Matthew Bedford has been out for most of the season with a knee injury. Bedford was projected to be a starter for the Ducks this season but has been limited to just a few snaps in Week 3 against Oregon State. Bedford has been listed as out in Oregon’s availability reports for the past eight games.
My’Keil Gardner
Redshirt freshman defensive lineman My’Keil Gardner has been sidelined all season with an undisclosed injury. While there is little information about the defensive lineman’s condition, Lanning commented on Gardner’s potential to play, saying:
“Possibly. We’ll continue to assess where he’s at and feel it out.”
Dakoda Fields
Defensive back Dakoda Fields has also been out all season with a knee injury, and no timetable has been provided for his return.
Khamari Terrell
Khamari Terrell, another defensive back, has missed most of the season and has not traveled with the team for away games. He was listed as out for the Wisconsin game and will likely miss the upcoming Washington matchup.
Zach Grisham
The redshirt sophomore defensive back has been sidelined since Oregon’s game against Boise State on Sept. 7. He has been officially listed as out for the past seven games, with no timeline provided for his return.
MORE: Oregon Ducks Hosting Elite Recruits, Flip Targets: Lincoln Cure, Andrew Olesh
MORE: Denver Broncos’ Bo Nix Injury Report Ahead Of Cleveland Monday Night Football Game
MORE: Can Oregon Ducks Pass Georgia For No. 1 Ranked 2025 Recruiting Class? Flips Loom
MORE: Tampa Bay’s Bucky Irving Shows Touching Support of Denver Quarterback Bo Nix
MORE: Oregon Ducks Dillon Gabriel To Make FBS History Vs. Washington On Senior Night
MORE: Oregon Ducks Fans Color To Wear vs. Maryland Terrapins In Autzen Stadium
MORE: Caleb Downs Says Ohio State Buckeyes ‘Weren’t Well Prepared’ to Play Oregon Ducks
MORE: Who Will Oregon Ducks Face in Big Ten Championship Game: Ohio State, Indiana?
MORE: Oregon Ducks Schedule: Washington Huskies Kickoff Time, TV Broadcast Announced
MORE: Oregon Ducks’ Dan Lanning Gives Injury Update On Tez Johnson, Jordan Burch, Marcus Harper II
MORE: Washington Huskies’ Jedd Fisch On Oregon Ducks: ‘Our Guys Believe’ In Upsets
MORE: EXCLUSIVE: Oregon Ducks 5-Star Target Anthony Jones Says Dan Lanning ‘Keeps It Real’
The good times keep on rolling for the Oregon Ducks in the recruiting world. Dan Lanning and the Ducks scored a massive commitment from five-star quarterback Will Mencl out of Chandler, Arizona.
Oregon had been rumored to be leading the race for Mencl’s services for months, but the No. 1 quarterback in the country, per Rivals, cleared the air and committed to the Ducks on Wednesday evening. Mencl chose the Ducks over Auburn and Penn State, both of which battled hard for him down the stretch.
However, Mencl has been connected to Oregon for a long time. While he was offered last fall before breaking out in his junior season, Mencl has been a fan of the program long before he popped up on the Ducks’ recruiting radar. In a post shared by Rivals recruiting expert Steve Wiltfong, Mencl was announced as a quarterback for the Ducks when he was a kid at the 2019 NFL Draft fan experience in 2019.
Now, Mencl is ready to don the green and yellow for real and make his childhood dreams come true. The Ducks have made a point to get Mencl on campus as often as possible and as recently as last week. The continued connection between both sides is ultimately what made the decision easy for the nation’s top passer. Mencl said he told Lanning and the Oregon staff about his decision on Sunday.
“The biggest thing was the relationship with the staff,” Mencl said after committing. “I feel like that continued to grow over time, especially when I first got there last spring. Being able to sit down with Coach Koa, really being an underlooked guy at that time, and kind of blowing up my junior season. And then, the path to the NFL. You can’t deny what they do with quarterbacks and the type of scheme they run. I felt like that was the best fit for me and my family to get to the next level.”
Koa Ka’ai, Oregon’s new quarterback coach, made waves earlier in the offseason after his recruiting test about ice cream flavors went viral, but that doesn’t appear to have scared Mencl off. In fact, the two have a close connection that Oregon hopes will translate to success on the field in the near future.
“My relationship with Coach Koa, I feel like that is super, super strong,” Mencl told Rivals. “I’ve had a lot of discussions with Coach Lanning about the culture there and how they’re going to continue to sustain greatness throughout the program.”
Mencl exploded onto the national recruiting scene with a massive junior season for Chandler. He completed more than 70% of his passes for 3,815 yards and 33 touchdowns against five interceptions in his junior season, leading Chandler to a state title berth. He also rushed for 741 yards and an additional 17 touchdowns.
The Ducks expect to have some competition for Mencl to compete with when he joins the team for the 2027 season, with Dylan Raiola and Akili Smith Jr. already on the roster and competing for a role as the backup. Oregon has gone to the transfer portal as well in recent seasons, finding success with Bo Nix, Dillon Gabriel, and now Dante Moore.
Oregon has recruited well at quarterback in the past, establishing an NFL pedigree that attracted Mencl. Maybe he will be the one to buck the trend and give the Ducks a true, homegrown product under center.
Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.
‘Pour in the largest glass you can find while slow dancing in your socks,’ a Wine Enthusiast contributor said of an Oregon wine
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Wine Enthusiast released a list of the top 40 sparkling wines around the world in 2026 – highlighting two bottles of bubbly from Oregon.
“While it can seem like you need a fortune to enjoy high quality sparkling wine, you honestly don’t. Excellent affordable bubbles are being produced around the world, often in places you might not expect. Each of the selections on our inaugural Top 40 Sparkling Wines list delivers personality, freshness, and celebration for under $75,” Wine Enthusiast wrote.
Wine Enthusiast divided its list into separate sparkling categories including, Champagne, Italian Bollicine, American sparkling and bottles $25 and under.
Snagging a spot on the American sparkling list: Corollary Wines in McMinnville.
Corollarly’s 2021 Momtazi Carbonic Rosé Pinot Noir scored 96 points from Wine Enthusiast.
“This is a Peter Max print of a wine, with vivid aromas and flavors to match the wine’s electric Kool-Aid color. It is filled to the brim with aromas and flavors of macerated strawberries, candied rose petals, apricots, and a bitter note similar to watermelon rind. Pour in the largest glass you can find while slow dancing in your socks,” wrote Wine Enthusiast contributor Michael Alberty.
The second Oregon winery to earn a spot on the list: Lytle-Barnett in Dundee.
Wine Enthusiast also gave Lytle-Barnett’s 2018 Brut Rosé Pinot Noir Chardonnay 96 points.
“Bubbles as persistent as an eight-year-old with a question deliver aromas of dried rose petals, macerated strawberries, and a touch of fresh hay and talc. This 70/30 Pinot Noir and Chardonnay blend is packed with flavors of lemon zest, Honeycrisp apple slices drizzled in caramel, and a dollop of raspberry,” Alberty wrote.
The nods to Corollary and Lytle-Barnett come as the wineries recently helped launch Method Oregon, a nonprofit made up of 50 Oregon wineries aiming to turn Oregon into a global sparkling wine destination.
-
San Francisco, CA2 minutes ago49ers draft picks: Full list of team’s round-by-round selections
-
Dallas, TX8 minutes agoCowboys draft picks tracker: Every selection, live grades
-
Miami, FL14 minutes ago5 arrested in undercover teen sex trafficking bust in Miami, authorities say
-
Boston, MA20 minutes agoBoston police seek missing 12-year-old from Dorchester
-
Denver, CO26 minutes agoRoadrunner spotted far from its usual range in Denver surprises birders
-
Seattle, WA32 minutes agoTicket Alert: Karol G, Teddy Swims, and More Seattle Events Going On Sale This Week – The Stranger
-
San Diego, CA38 minutes agoPFL returns to San Diego in June with A.J. McKee vs. Salamat Isbulaev
-
Milwaukee, WI44 minutes agoMilwaukee Bucks to hire Taylor Jenkins in bid to keep Antetokounmpo this summer