It's no secret that the Oregon Ducks
offense sputtered in its tracks against the UCLA Bruins in Week 6, just a game after putting up 41 points in a win over the USC Trojans. There were many differences that occurred between the two games that had a bye week sandwiched between them, including a more stout Bruins defense, subpar offensive line play and a full game — until he was benched — with backup quarterback Dylan Raiola instead of a relief outing.But one of the things that stuck out, beneath all of the offensive play-calling controversy and brutally poor quarterback play from Raiola, was the lack of involvement of tight end Jamari Johnson.
The Louisville transfer was terrific for the Ducks in 2025 as the sidekick to Kenyon Sadiq, catching
32 passes for 510 yards and three touchdowns. He finished in the top-10 nationally in yards among tight ends despite playing alongside a future NFL first-rounder.
Entering 2026, the position was all Johnson's to own. And own, he did in the season-opener against the Boise State Broncos, turning four receptions into 57 yards and a touchdown. He suffered an injury that caused him to miss two games before returning against USC, where he had the best game of his career.
Quickly turning into Raiola's favorite target both on out-breaking routes and in the middle of the field, Johnson set career-highs in both catches (seven) and yards (119), consistently getting open against the Trojans secondary. But he was virtually invisible just a game later, totaling one catch for 13 yards against the Bruins.
Head coach Dan Lanning spoke on Johnson's lack of targets and production on Monday, making his stance on Johnson's involvement in the offense clear.
"It's not enough. Not remotely close. You can see that," Lanning said. "Jamari's a guy that needs to be touching the ball."
Johnson wasn't the only Duck playmaker to not see the ball much at all in the game against UCLA, especially when Raiola was on the field. Wide receivers Dakorien Moore and Evan Stewart combined for nine catches for 151 yards and a touchdown on Saturday, but much of it came against a prevent defense in the fourth quarter with third-stringer Brock Thomas at the helm, not the five-star backup in Raiola. Both had big games against the Trojans.
Running back Dierre Hill Jr., arguably the most dangerous, dynamic playmaker on the Ducks' roster, had 19 touches for 168 yards and two touchdowns against USC; versus UCLA, those marks drops to 11 touches for 59 yards and no scores.
"We've got some explosive players that need to be able to touch the ball," Lanning continued. "Dakorien Moore is a guy that needs to be touching the ball. Dierre Hill, I could name a lot of guys that are guys that need to be touching the ball. When you have three-and-outs, obviously that limits your opportunities. The amount of time on the field when you have turnovers limits your plays. We had a lot fewer plays on offense than we had on defense because we turned the ball over. I think some of it starts there, but we can certainly find better ways to make sure that we get targets to players."
Lanning noted during the press conference that there would some changes in preparation on the offensive side of the ball, but wouldn't reveal whether or not that constituted a play-caller switch from offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer to someone else.
Regardless of who's calling plays and scheming them up during the week of practice, it's not only clear to Lanning, but clear to anyone who's watched the Ducks this season, that a successful version of this Oregon offense includes a heavy diet of Johnson, Hill, Moore and Stewart.
With the Nebraska Cornhuskers coming to town in Week 7 after holding an elite Indiana Hoosiers offense just 20 points, including six entering the fourth quarter, Oregon's playmakers need to show up — though the responsibility also falls on the coaching staff to give them the opportunity to do so.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Oregon vows to get Jamari Johnson more involved after UCLA loss
