SAN ANTONIO, Texas — On one side of the field, players chased after a Marcus Mariota fumble that eventually rolled out of bounds. On the other side, Oregon left tackle Tyler Johnstone clutched his right knee, writhing on the ground in pain. As the trainer approached, Johnstone ripped off his helmet and fired it towards the ground, nearly hitting several Texas defenders as it rolled by.

Johnstone needed two players to help him off the field, then needed crutches to walk back to the locker room. He came back in street clothes and a brace on his injured knee. One source said the redshirt sophomore tore an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).

Senior wide receiver Josh Huff was one of several players to walk over and console an emotional Johnstone as he sat on a cart directly following the injury.

“He’s like a brother to me,” Huff said. “At that moment, I’ve never seen him cry the way he did. I knew it was something serious.”

Huff said he told Johnstone in that moment that he was there for him and that the Ducks were going to get the victory for him, which they did, beating Texas 30-7. But Huff wasn’t the only player to give encouragement to Johnstone. Senior Everett Benyard, Johnstone’s replacement, told Johnstone almost the exact same thing as Huff.

“I said, ‘I got you bro,’” Benyard said. “‘I’m up for you and it’s going down.’ … Tyler went down and I wanted to give it my all for him.”

Benyard not only had to go in unexpectedly, he had to block Jackson Jeffcoat, one of the best defensive ends in the nation.

“He’s a hell of a player,” Benyard said. “He’s an All-American for a reason. He’s a battler. And I wanted that. I was wishing to go against him all week. I want to go against the best.”

Benyard said Jeffcoat beat him a few times but he also said he won some battles with Jeffcoat, who finished with one sack. The man Benyard was protecting, Marcus Mariota, especially appreciated the job Benyard did against Texas.

“Coach always talks about the next man up,” Mariota said. “Really kind of exemplified that tonight.”

Offensive coordinator Scott Frost said he had to adjust the offense a little bit after Benyard entered the game. He said Johnstone is more mobile than Benyard, so Frost couldn’t call as many plays with the tackle out and moving. But he was happy with Benyard’s Alamo Bowl performance.

“Proud of Everett,” Frost said. “He’s a senior that’s mostly been a backup and when he’s been called on to play, he’s done really well.”

Whether he played perfect or not, Benyard can look back on his last game as a Duck — possibly his last football game ever — and know that he contributed to an Alamo Bowl win.

“This is exactly how I wanted it to end,” Benyard said.

As for Johnstone, who was unavailable to the media after the game, he still has up to two more seasons left at Oregon. But who knows how he’ll recover from his injury? If he did indeed tear his ACL, he might be hobbled going into next season.

Johnstone, though, is confident that he’ll be ready to go come next fall.

“He said, ‘I’ll be back,’” Frost said. “‘I’ll be back for the first game [of 2014].”

Follow Victor Flores on Twitter @vflores415