Will Johnson injury update: Michigan DB's status vs. Spartans

Michigan defensive back Will Johnson is not expected to play in Saturday’s game against Michigan State as he deals with an injury, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

Johnson left last week’s game against Illinois with a lower body injury, and Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore described the player as being questionable coming into this week.

“I think right now, if I was a doctor, and I’m not a doctor, I’d put him as questionable,” Moore told reporters about Johnson’s condition this week.

He added: “We’ll see how he rolls this week.”

Michigan’s third-year cornerback has 14 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, three pass breakups, and two interceptions returned for touchdowns this season.

He was a principal contributor to Michigan’s defensive effort during the team’s national championship run last season, with 27 stops, 4 pass defenses, and 4 interceptions.

Michigan comes into this weekend’s game with a 4-3 overall record, on a 2-game losing streak in which the team scored 24 combined points, and sitting at 2-2 in Big Ten play this season.

Amid ongoing quarterback issues, the Wolverines rank 130th among 134 FBS teams in passing production with 128 yards per game, and are 113th nationally with 21.1 points on average.

Johnson’s absence is problematic for a Michigan secondary that has struggled at times this season, and as Michigan State has improved its own passing output in recent weeks.