Trio of Oregon Ducks honored by Pac-12 for Week 9 performances

Following Oregon’s emphatic 42-24 win over Cal on Saturday, three Ducks have received awards from the Pac-12 for their Week 9 performances.

Oregon senior quarterback Bo Nix was tabbed by the conference as its offensive player of the week. Nix threw three touchdowns, ran for three more, and went 25-for-35 passing while throwing for 412 yards. His 11 rushing touchdowns this season are tied for the most in the nation among FBS quarterbacks.

Nix is also tied for second in the nation with 31 total touchdowns.

“I think Bo did a good job today,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said of Nix’s performance on Saturday. “But I think if you ask Bo right now, he’d say he can perform better. And I think our entire team probably feels that way. There are some moments that we can play at a higher level. I have to go back and watch the film and see if there were any balls in jeopardy — look at what our decision-making looks like.

“Bo has been really consistent and a really good player all year. I think that he’ll come away from this performance, saying he wants to do better than he did.”

Nix is the first Oregon player since Marcus Mariota (2014) to be honored as the Pac-12 offensive player of the week in consecutive weeks.

Ducks’ senior right tackle Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu was honored as the Pac-12’s offensive lineman of the week. He helped pave the way for a banner performance by the Ducks’ offense, which accumulated 586 yards of total offense.

Pro Football Focus issued Aumavae-Laulu an 85.9 overall grade for the performance, which was the best for any offensive lineman in the conference in Week 9. He becomes the third Oregon offensive lineman this season to win the award, joining T.J. Bass (twice) and Alex Forsyth.

Additionally, Oregon senior outside linebacker DJ Johnson was honored as the Pac-12 defensive lineman of the week. He recorded two sacks, three total tackles, and a pass breakup while generally terrorizing Cal quarterback Jack Plummer all afternoon.

Johnson’s performance earned him an 86.0 overall grade, which was the best for any qualified Oregon player and the third-best in the nation among qualified edge rushers.

In the midst of a breakout campaign, Johnson now has two multi-sack games in 2022 and has recorded six sacks on the year — good for the fourth-most in the Pac-12.

This marks the first time Johnson has ever been honored by the conference as its offensive lineman of the week. Brandon Dorlus and Mase Funa previously won it this fall.

Johnson was also nominated for outright defensive player of the week. Ducks’ cornerback Chrisitan Gonzalez was nominated for special teams player of the week after blocking a field goal against the Golden Bears.

USC defensive back Bryson Shaw won defensive player of the week, and Colorado freshman receiver and kick returner won both special teams player of the week and freshman of the week after he racked up 246 all-purpose yards.

The Pac-12 weekly performance rewards are voted on by the respective beat reporters who cover the conference.