Oregon tight end Jamari Johnson has emerged as a leader and one of the few steady forces during what’s become a tumultuous season for the Ducks’ offense.

Coach Dan Lanning fired offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer, and offensive analyst Jay Johnson is calling plays in an effort to ignite a stagnant offense that ranks No. 107 in the nation (35.4 percent) on third down.

On top of that, quarterback Dante Moore is not expected to return this season as he continues recovering from a concussion. Jamari Johnson’s relationships with Moore and Mehringer made the developments all the more personal.

Still, it’s business as usual for Johnson, who brings 24 catches for 293 yards and a pair of touchdowns into Saturday’s showdown at Autzen Stadium when Oregon (4-3, 2-2 Big Ten) plays host to No. 20 Northwestern (6-1, 3-1 Big Ten).

Johnson met with the press on Wednesday at Hatfield-Dowlin Complex to discuss the loss of Moore to injury, Mehringer’s dismissal and regaining focus as a team amid the chaos.

On Quarterback Dante Moore Shutting Down His Season

“It was bad, man. It was bad news to hear. That was my guy. As soon as he told me that, he was talking to the team about one of the moments he remembered, and once he told me that, it played in my mind the last Indiana game."

"I asked him, like, are you going to come back? And we just had like a little moment right there. That was like one of the first flashbacks I had in my mind when he said that. So, it’s my dog, man. I miss him.”

Reaction to Drew Mehringer’s Firing

“Coach Mehringer was my dog, man. To hear that news, it almost brought a tear to my eye. That was my coach coming in. From seeing him every day to seeing him not at all, it’s a little tough. But Coach Jay (Johnson) coming in with his hair on fire, man, ready to go. So I’m excited.”

Helping the Team Regain Focus

“Today I felt like that was, like, the switch. Today was a great practice, and I felt like we’re on that way really up to get us going.”

How the Coaching Staff Provided a Spark

“Shout out to the staff, man. They’ve been grinding their tail off since Week 1. I’m not surprised to see the changes that they made because, you know, if something’s not working then we got to fix it.”

On Correcting Any Complacent Tendencies

“Just knowing that like it could be taken away at any moment. As we saw last game, it’s like, we can’t leave any plays out there on the field. So moving forward, from here on out, we can’t get complacent and just keep turning up.”

Adjusting to New Quarterback and Offensive Coordinator

“It’s not challenging, for real. Everything is pretty much the same. It’s just some things inside the offense, like some details and stuff changed like that, but it’s pretty much the same thing, you know? We’re just making some tweaks.”