Will Johnson updates his health, more before the Rose Bowl
PASADENA, Calif. — Michigan cornerback Will Johnson had to sit out the last several minutes of a 30-24 win over Ohio State, and it was excruciating. The pain of being on the sidelines was worse than the calf injury he’d suffered earlier in the game, but the latter was enough to keep him off the field.
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Fortunately, he noted, his teammates were up to the task. It ended with a Rod Moore interception after the Buckeyes made it to the Michigan 30, and Johnson was able to exhale and celebrate with his teammates.
“I know my guys back there. When the moment is biggest, they’ll make their plays,” Johnson said. “I said that all year. I didn’t have any doubt in them at all.”
He just wished he could have been out there helping them.
“It was really hard, especially knowing where the ball is going to be going, knowing I could have been there,” Johnson continued. “But they held it down for me, we got the win, so that’s all that matters.”
Now his only concern is helping lead the Wolverines to a win in the Rose Bowl. It would be Michigan’s first College Football Playoff win, and being here again “means a lot,” Johnson said. It’s the goal every year, he added, and to be going into the game 13-0 is a blessing … and one he’s gotten used to.
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“We’ve just got to finish the task at hand,” Johnson continued. “When I came, [the culture] was pretty much already set. I pretty much tried to keep that going. All the schools I was narrowing [my recruitment] down between, I feel like we’re in a better position than they are. It ended up working in my favor.
“The culture has been great. I feel like these last nine days, up to the playoffs, we’ve just been trying to stay together, take it all in that this is all we’ve got left with this team. That’s been our focus. I feel like we have the best DB room in the country. I don’t know how many Interceptions we had, but we’ve definitely built off last year in probably all areas. I think this year has definitely been a great step in our improvement.”
Which gives them hope against a quick group of Alabama receivers. They’re not as big as Ohio State’s, Johnson noted, but they’re fast. He’s going to need to be at his healthy best to help slow them, but there’s good news on that front.
“I’m probably the best I’ve been all year [health-wise],” Johnson said. “I can’t wait to go out there and play.”
