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REPORT: Michigan suffers major blow ahead of matchup with Oregon

Chris Breiler

Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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The hope was that the Michigan defense would be at full strength on Saturday for the matchup against No. 1 Oregon, but it looks like the Wolverines will be without their top defender once again. On Friday, Matt Zenitz of 247 Sports reported that Will Johnson is expected to be out of the lineup for the second consecutive week.

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

"Oh, yeah. Will has no plan of just shutting it down or anything like that," Moore said. "Will, if he could go out there, he would go out there in a heartbeat. And, I know that he’ll be back out there at some point this season, whether it’s this week, next week, or whatever it is. And there’s zero doubt in my mind that he, the competitor that wants to be out there with his teammates, so I know he’ll be back."

The absence of Johnson is a huge blow for a secondary that has struggled mightily against the pass all season long. Though nine games, the Wolverines currently rank No. 85 nationally in pass defense, allowing 228.5 yards per game. On the flip side, Oregon features one of the top passing offenses in the nation (No. 12 nationally), averaging 300.0 yards per game through the air.

With Johnson expected to miss his second consecutive 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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Chris Breiler
CHRIS BREILER

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