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Oregon's Ferguson is “doing well” after missing some time with a head injury

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Oregon's Ferguson is “doing well” after missing some time with a head injury

PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — Terrance Ferguson's rough collision with a former teammate knocked the star tight end out of the second half Saturday.

Oregon coach Dan Lanning expressed optimism that Ferguson wouldn't miss more time after the 34-13 win over UCLA in the Rose Bowl.

“I think Terrence will be good. From our perspective, it's just a precautionary measure, but he's fine,” said Lanning, whose team improved to 4-0 with its first win in a Big Ten game.

Ferguson was injured on a pass over the middle of the field near the Bruins' end zone by quarterback Dillon Gabriel.

Ferguson was unprotected as he went up to catch the ball, but UCLA safety Bryan Addison also ran the ball aggressively and the two collided in the air, with the 6-5, 255-pound Ferguson getting the worst of it.

After lying motionless for a few seconds, Ferguson stood up on his own and was then carried off the field by members of the Oregon training staff and immediately taken to the locker room. Oregon ruled him out for the second half with a head injury. During the second half, he stood on the sidelines in shorts and a sweatshirt. After the game, he walked up the tunnel with his head covered.

“I'll have to watch it on film, but to my eye it certainly looked like it had some hallmarks of targeting,” Lanning said when asked about Addison's hit. “It looked like there was a start. But I couldn’t see the hit on the copy afterwards.”

As Ferguson lay motionless on the turf, Addison – who played the first five years of his career with the Ducks before transferring to UCLA in the winter – appeared to stand next to him and bend over before pausing when he realized that Ferguson didn't get up.

Addison's actions earned the ire of Gabriel, who got into a verbal conflict with Bruins security.

“I think it’s competition,” said Gabriel, who has a close relationship with Ferguson off the field. “Of course there are some additional things with the past, but this is my brother, a man I live with, so … kind words have been exchanged throughout this process.”

Gabriel was eventually pulled away by Oregon receiver Tez Johnson before any flags were thrown or physical contact began.

“I just saw the goal and of course we all know Dillon is passionate and cares about his teammates, so he had a few words for him,” Johnson said with a smile. “I just told Dillon to get out of there because I know Dillon, I know he supports us.”

Ferguson finished the game with a catch for 18 yards. He is now 19 receptions and two touchdowns away from breaking the Oregon career tight end records for both.

Chris Hansen covers University of Oregon football, men's basketball, track and field, cross country and softball for The Register-Guard. You can reach him on X @chansen_RG or by email [email protected].

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