EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Oregon quarterback Bo Nix was brimming with pride over the performance of teammate Tez Johnson, who was taken in by the Nix family as a teenager.
Johnson caught caught a 49-yard scoring pass from Nix on the first series of the game and No. 13 Oregon went on to beat Hawaii 55-10 on Saturday night.
“It’s definitely special. I’m definitely excited for him. I’ve been able to watch him grow up and develop,” Nix said. “Proud of him. Proud of his work ethic. Now he’s going to really continue to push and grow himself, continue to get better and not settle.”
The Ducks (3-0) have won 32 straight nonconference games at Autzen Stadium, the longest streak in the nation. Oregon hasn’t lost to a nonconference opponent at home since 2008.
Jordan James ran for a pair of touchdowns for the Ducks while Johnson and Traeshon Holden each caught two scoring passes. Nix completed 21 of 27 passes before heading to the bench after one series in the second half.
Johnson, who moved in with Nix’s family in Pinson, Alabama, in 2018, spent the last three seasons at Troy before transferring to Oregon. He finished with four catches for 77 yards and the two TDs against Hawaii. It was the first time he’d had two touchdowns in a game.
“We don’t really care about stats and all that, we just want to win the game,” Johnson said.
It was the final nonconference tuneup for Oregon before the start of the team’s final Pac-12 season. Next week Oregon hosts No. 18 Colorado and new Buffs coach Deion Sanders.
Brayden Schager, who threw for 972 yards through his first three games of the season to lead the nation, threw for 131 yards and a late touchdown to Alex Perry for Hawaii (1-3). It was the Rainbow Warriors’ eighth straight road loss dating back to last season.
Hawaii’s last win on the road against a Pac-12 opponent came in 2009 against Washington. Overall the team’s last win against a Pac-12 team came in 2019 in Honolulu against Oregon State.
Oregon needed just two plays on their opening drive of the night to score. Nix found Johnson with a pass up the middle for a 49-yard touchdown.
On Hawaii’s ensuing drive, Schager was intercepted by Khyree Jackson, which led to Camden Lewis’ 43-yard field goal. James’ 22-yard scoring run pushed the lead to 17-0. Nix added a 1-yard scoring pass to Holden before the end of the first quarter.
James ran for 3-yard touchdown before Lewis kicked a 22-yard field goal. Matthew Shipley kicked a 29-yard field goal for Hawaii at the end of the first half to make it 34-3.
Nix threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Johnson to open the second half before backup Ty Thompson took over at quarterback. Noah Whittington ran for a 34-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 48-3.
Holden caught a pass from Thompson and ran for a 60-yard touchdown in the final quarter, before Perry caught a 1-yard TD pass with 2:28 left for Hawaii.
The takeaway
Hawaii: It was the Rainbow Warriors’ first game without Logan Taylor, Hawaii’s weak-side linebacker, who tore the ACL in his left knee last week against Albany and is out for the rest of the season. He was the team’s leading tackler last season. … Hawaii defeated Albany 31-20 last weekend for the team’s first win of the season after losses to Vanderbilt and Stanford.
Oregon: The Ducks are 18-1 when leading at halftime since 2018. … Oregon was coming off a 38-30 come-from-behind victory over Texas Tech last weekend. … Nix has not thrown an interception this season.
Hawaii proud
One of Oregon’s most famous football alumni, Marcus Mariota, hails from Hawaii. For Saturday’s game, his Motiv8 Foundation partnered with fellow former Ducks quarterback Justin Herbert and basketball star Sabrina Ionescu, as well as the school’s athletic department, to send more than 1,000 local kids to the game.
The Ducks also raised money during the game for the Hawaiian Community Relief Foundation to help those impacted by the devastating Maui fires this summer.
Up next
Hawaii: Host New Mexico State on Saturday.
Oregon: Host No. 18 Colorado on Saturday.