The hope was that Michigan’s defense would be at full strength Saturday for the matchup with No. 1 Oregon, but it appears the Wolverines will be without their top linebacker again. On Friday, Matt Zenitz of 247 Sports reported that Will Johnson is expected to be out of the lineup for the second straight week.

Meeting with the media last week, head coach Sherrone Moore made it clear that Johnson had no intention of shutting her down for the rest of the season.

“Oh yeah. Will has no plans to close it or anything like that,” Moore said. “Will, if he could get out there, he’d be out there in a heartbeat. And I know he’s going to be back there at some point this season, whether it’s this week, next week or whatever. And there’s no doubt in my mind that he, the competitor who wants to be there with his teammates, so I know he’ll be back.”

Johnson’s absence is a huge blow to a secondary that has struggled mightily against the pass all season. Though they’ve had nine games, the Wolverines currently rank 85th nationally in pass defense, allowing 228.5 yards per game. On the other hand, Oregon has one of the best passing offenses in the country (#12 nationally), averaging 300.0 yards per game through the air.

With Johnson expected to miss his second straight game, it will fall on the shoulders of guys like Jyaire Hill, Aamir Hall, Makari Paige and Zeke Berry to make big plays in the secondary on Saturday.

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