It was third-and-11 for Oregon, trailing by 3 in overtime against Washington. The ball was in quarterback Justin Herbert’s hands to make a play.

Wide receiver Dillon Mitchell ran a hard-stop route past the first-down marker and turned at the perfect time to receive Herbert’s pass, converting the first down and adding another 6 yards.

The play set up the eventual game-winning touchdown and was one of the most important of Oregon’s season, and like so many others, Herbert and Mitchell were the two teaming up.

“He’s a guy that I trust,” Herbert said. “He’s a guy that’s in the film room doing everything he can and is out on the field making plays. He shows up in practice, and it shows up in games as well.”

In his third season at Oregon, Mitchell has not only taken the giant leap into being a No. 1 receiver, he has become one of the best receivers in the country by using workouts uncommon for football, specifically crossovers and basketball moves to keep his agility and quickness up, and plenty of time watching film.

“I feel like I was always capable of doing what I was doing,” Mitchell said. “I have elevated my game. My game wasn’t like that completely last year. I’m just working to get better.”

When times are tough, every quarterback needs their security blanket, but Mitchell is no check-down target. He is making all types of plays all over the field.

Mitchell’s 1,002 receiving yards account for 37 percent of Oregon’s receiving yards, and he leads the team with eight receiving touchdowns. He also led the team in receiving yards in seven of Oregon’s 10 games. The junior has reached the 100-yard mark five times, and is the lone Pac-12 player to surpass 1,000 yards this season thanks to his average of 129 yards per game in conference play.

Mitchell is well beyond establishing himself as a go-to guy. Although defenses are keying on him, he is finding a way to get the ball when it matters most, with 47 of his 64 catches this season having resulted in a first down or a touchdown.

“Fortunately Dillon’s always open,” Herbert said. “He does a great job of running routes and getting open. He makes my job a lot easier. We’d like to spread it around more, but Dillon just does a great job of getting open.”

But things weren’t always easy for the receiver. Mitchell recalled a moment against Washington in 2016 when Mark Helfrich was still the head coach. Washington corner Kevin King, now a starting cornerback for the Green Bay Packers, was matched against the true freshman Mitchell — and the mismatch of experience was evident.

“He definitely put me in my place and let me know that this is big-boy ball,” Mitchell said. “It was a reality check.”

Since then, Mitchell has grown exponentially. He has gone to work over the last couple of offseasons to develop chemistry with Herbert, something that is easily visible when they are linking up on plays like the 67-yard touchdown against UCLA.

“I think we needed Dillon to step up,” Herbert said. “We needed him to step up and play some big-time ball, and he did. He’s done that all year, and [he’s] a great guy to have on your side of the ball.”