The city of Indianapolis As she made her way back to her hotel in the freezing Indiana wind, Shamika Johnson’s voice faltered a little.
She told The Oregonian/OregonLive, “I’m happy, and all kinds of emotions are going through me right now.” Just a proud parent. A proud mother.
Johnson attended Saturday night’s game to watch her son Tez and the Oregon Ducks, who are ranked #1, defeat Penn State to win the Big Ten championship. With 11 receptions for a career-high 181 yards and a touchdown, Tez Johnson was voted the game’s MVP.
Although Johnson is well-known for his relationship with Bo Nix’s family, his biological family had never seen him play live until Saturday, when his parents, Pat and Krista, took him in during a difficult period in high school.
Anyhow, a whole game.
They included twin cousins Tyron and Tywun, aunt Kimiko, uncle Deandre, brother Keywone, sister Keynila, mother Shamika, and stepfather John Posey.
I promised them, “I’ll give you all a show; this is the first game you’re all coming to.” “I swear to you,” Tez Johnson stated after the game. For me, it was simply—I’m not sure if words can adequately describe it—my mother’s tears when she saw me perform on such a stage.
Words cannot express how great it is to get them to the game, bro. You have dreams about it. And you don’t take it for granted when that moment comes and you can cross something off your bucket list.
Shamika Johnson was not supposed to see her son play for the Ducks for the first time on Saturday.
To see Oregon play in the Big House, she traveled from her home in Alabama to Ann Arbor, Michigan. However, on the second offensive snap for the Ducks, Johnson hurt his shoulder. The injury occurred quickly.
“I was so upset that I couldn’t even tell you,” Shamika added. At first, I was unaware that he had been injured.
However, Tez’s call arrived a few weeks later.
In order to return to the field for Oregon’s regular season finale versus Washington, he underwent a rigorous rehabilitation program. versus the infamous Huskies, he caught three catches for 36 yards and a touchdown. He couldn’t image his family not being among the almost 70,000 spectators at Lucas Oil Stadium as he returned and prepared to compete for a conference title.
Do you want to attend the Big Ten, Mom? he asked me over the phone. “Shamika said.” And being here made me feel incredibly proud.
On a night when the Ducks needed to score points, Johnson was crucial in keeping the offensive engine going. He ignited drives with big plays, made long cuts with evasive maneuvers against the Penn State secondary, and gave Oregon a 38–24 lead in the third quarter with a 48-yard touchdown catch.
Ultimately, he and his teammates swung into the College Football Playoffs with a 13-0 victory, lifting the Big Ten title trophy. On the podium, Johnson grinned modestly while holding the MVP award and looking up at the spectators.
Shamika expressed her happiness for him and the entire team. And I couldn’t have been happier when he won MVP. I was devastated by that. However, it’s been incredibly happy. Right now is the happiest period of my life. I feel proud and like I done a good job when I see him out there doing what he loves.
For the Ducks and their supporters, Johnson’s path from adversity in his early years to the highest level of collegiate football has served as an inspiration, but his mother thinks it goes deeper.
She claimed that he now understands the purpose of life. He no longer views it as a game. It’s true. He had to change into the man he is now in order to reach his current position.
–The Oregon Ducks and Big Ten Conference are covered by Ryan Clarke. Get the Ducks Roundup email or listen to the Ducks Confidential podcast.
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