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Mizzou WR has bigger plans than Freshman of the Week award
By Adam Spencer
Published:
Big plays were the name of the game for Missouri freshman WR/PR Johnathon Johnson on Saturday night.
In a 61-21 victory over Eastern Michigan, Johnson had a 54-yard punt return touchdown and also scored on an 87-yard pass from sophomore QB Drew Lock.
In total, the freshman amassed five catches for 115 yards to go with the touchdown as Lock finished the game with 450 passing yards and five touchdowns.
The award is a big stepping stone for Johnson, who has some lofty goals for this season:
Johnson said winning the award was a goal for him: "I'm looking forward to becoming a Freshman All-American or something."
— Tod Palmer (@todpalmer) September 12, 2016
However, the punt return almost didn’t happen, as Johnson dropped the kick initially. He said he heard the voice of his coach in that panic-driven moment:
Johnson muffed the catch on his punt-return TD: "A voice went off in my head, I heard Coach (Cornell) Ford say, 'Get on the ball.'"
— Tod Palmer (@todpalmer) September 12, 2016
Johnson picked up & ran 54 yards for TD instead. Was Ford OK w/ decision? "I hope so. He was happy when I scored, so I guess that's good."
— Tod Palmer (@todpalmer) September 12, 2016
Johnson will have a much tougher time making plays against a tough Georgia team, but if he can come through with a big play or two, the Freshman All-American honor will certainly be within his reach.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
