The stage is set, as the No. 1 Michigan Wolverines and No. 2 Washington Huskies will meet next Monday in Houston in the 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship Game.
While it was unclear if Washington running back Dillon Johnson would be ready to play after suffering what appeared to be a serious leg injury towards the end of the team’s 37-31 Sugar Bowl victory over the Texas Longhorns,
According to Washington offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, however, x-rays on Johnson’s foot were negative and the running back is expected to play against Michigan.
FOX 13 Seattle’s Alyssa Charlston passed the news along Tuesday afternoon, as Grubb was appearing on a Seattle radio show.
Huskies OC Ryan Grubb tell @Softykjr and @dickfain that RB Dillon Johnson is expected to play Monday in the national championship. He said x-rays were negative.
— Alyssa Charlston (@Alyssacharlston) January 3, 2024
Johnson’s injury played a big role in the final stretch of the Sugar Bowl. With 50 seconds left and Texas out of timeouts, Johnson went down with the injury on third down. This gave the Longhorns an additional clock stoppage, getting them the ball back with 41 seconds instead of roughly seven seconds. This nearly changed the entire game, as Texas drove down the field and got all the way to the 13 yard line before throwing an incompletion in the end zone to end the game.
Johnson was a key part of Washington’s high-powered offense this season, rushing for 1,162 yards (24th in the nation) and 16 touchdowns (sixth in the nation), and defenses having to focus on Johnson helps open things up for the Huskies’ passing attack.
