Through three quarters of play on Saturday night against Fresno State, junior cornerback Will Johnson found himself in an unfamiliar position.
Surprisingly, Johnson — the star cornerback who shut down Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. last year and came into the 2024 season widely ranked as college football’s best defensive back — was being targeted by the Bulldogs. And more surprisingly, it was working.
Fresno State’s quarterback Mikey Keene completed passes on Johnson several times through the first three quarters. Even when a pass wasn’t completed, there were moments where Johnson was uncharacteristically soft in coverage like when a receiver caught him on a double fake and got open deep downfield only to be overthrown. For most cornerbacks, losing reps and allowing yardage is a normal facet of the game. For Johnson though, it was distressing.
“I don’t like getting the ball caught on me at all,” Johnson said Monday. “Anytime they catch the ball, it’s definitely not a good thing to me. But, you got to go on to the next play and try to make a play when (your) number’s called.”
Things seemed just slightly off, but not distressingly so. Not to the point that Johnson didn’t look like a star corner. But to the point that Johnson was frustrated with his own performance. Then, in an instant, Johnson reminded everyone exactly what he’s capable of.
Midway through the fourth quarter with the Bulldogs at the Wolverines’ 10-yard line and threatening to make the contest a one possession affair, Keene fired off a screen pass looking for safe yardage. But he didn’t account for Will Johnson.
Before Keene had even released the ball from his hands, Johnson diagnosed the play. He darted in front of the Fresno State receiver, plucked the ball from the air and bolted 86-yards for a touchdown.
“I wasn’t too happy with my performance before that,” Johnson said. “So being able to finish it that way definitely made me feel a little bit better about the game. … I kind of just felt it coming. Wasn’t really like I’d seen it on film or anything before, it was just throughout the game I felt it, and I went and tried to make a play.”
With his pick-six, Johnson not only made a play, he made a statement.
As Michigan quickly ramps up for a high-stakes, top-flight matchup with No. 4 Texas, it will need him to make another one. A key concern for the Wolverines next Saturday is how they will fend off the Longhorns’ potent passing attack. With star receiving talent like Alabama transfer Isaiah Bond, Houston transfer Matthew Golden and freshman five-star recruit Ryan Wingo, Texas’ receiving corps presents Michigan with a massive challenge.
“They’re all fast, they’re all playmakers,” Michigan coach Sherrone Moore said Monday of the Longhorns’ receivers. “… The big thing that stands out is their speed and their ability to separate, and I think (Texas coach Steve Sarkisian) does a really good job of putting them in a position to showcase their talent. For us it’s gonna be doing everything we can to contain those guys.”
And much of that game plan for containing Texas’ speed falls on the shoulders of Johnson. As the Wolverines’ top cornerback, Johnson will go toe to toe with Bond and Golden, and the winner of those high-stakes reps will be a major determinant of the game’s outcome.
Johnson has the talent, pedigree and most importantly speed to shut down the Longhorns. While facing Bond against Alabama in the Rose Bowl last year, Johnson contained him well, but as Fresno State showed, Johnson is not infallible.
Texas may attempt to target Johnson like the Bulldogs did, and like them, the Longhorns might have some success doing so if he’s off of his game. But if he’s on, like he’s hoping he will be, the ball might just end up back in the Texas end zone.
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