Michigan suffers a serious setback before the duel with Oregon

The hope was that the Michigan defense would be at full strength for Saturday's matchup against No. 1 Oregon, but it looks like the Wolverines will once again be without their top defender. On Friday, Matt Zenitz of 247 Sports reported that Will Johnson is expected to be off the roster for the second week in a row.

In a meeting with the media last week, head coach Sherrone Moore made it clear that Johnson had no intention of shutting down the club for the remainder of the season.

“Oh yeah. Will has no plans to just close it or anything like that,” Moore said. “Will, if he could go out there, he would go out there in a heartbeat. And I know he'll be back out there at some point this season, whether it's this week, next week or whatever. And I have no doubt that he, the competitor, wants to be out there with his teammates, so I know he will be back.

Johnson's absence is a huge blow to a secondary that has had major issues with the pass all season. After 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 attacks in the country (No. 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.

– Enjoy more Michigan Wolverines coverage on Michigan Wolverines On SI –