Michigan linebacker Will Johnson is not expected to play in Saturday’s game against Michigan State due to 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 said the player was questionable for this week.

“I think right now, if I were a doctor and I wasn’t a doctor, I would view him as suspicious,” Moore told reporters this week about Johnson’s condition.

He added: “We’ll see how it moves this week.”

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

He made significant contributions to Michigan’s defensive efforts last season with 27 stops, 4 pass defenses and 4 interceptions during the team’s national championship run.

Michigan enters this weekend’s game with a 4-3 overall record, the team’s 2-game losing streak with a combined 24 points, and is 2-2 in Big Ten play this season.

Due to ongoing quarterback issues, the Wolverines rank 130th out of 134 FBS teams in passing production with 128 yards per game, while they rank 113th nationally with an average of 21.1 points per game.

Johnson’s absence poses a problem for Michigan’s secondary, which has struggled at times this season, and Michigan State has improved its own passing performance in recent weeks.

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