Oregon dropped its second game of the season to Utah on Saturday night, and it did it without numerous players that were ruled out just before kickoff.
Two of those players were veteran wide receivers Johnny Johnson III and Jaylon Redd. Mario Cristobal was asked about their status following the loss on Saturday night and the news was grim.
"Johnny is not going to be able to continue the season, neither is Jaylon Redd," Cristobal said.
Johnson exited the Washington State game last week after suffering a foot injury and exiting the game before being carted to the locker room. During the time between his injury and going to the locker room it was evident that he was visibly upset, which suggested a more severe injury.
But with Redd, there was no indication this week that he had been injured, which made his absence that much more of a surprise on Saturday.
Down their two most experienced wide receivers, the Ducks turned to players like Devon Williams, Troy Franklin, Kris Hutson and Dont'e Thornton for most of their passing attack on Saturday. Williams hauled in the only touchdown of the night, but Hutson was one of the only bright spots for this team offensively, totaling a career-high 96 receiving yards on four catches.
We also saw tight ends Spencer Webb and Moliki Matavao reel in passes, in what was a odd night statistically, as the Ducks threw for more yards (231) than they ran (63) in their worst offensive showing of the 2021 season.
It's also worth noting that the Ducks were without Mycah Pittman, who announced his departure from the program earlier this week. Heading into a pivotal game against the rival Oregon State Beavers next week, the wide receiver room will have a completely different look than what we saw just last week.
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