Washington's Kalen DeBoer expects RB Dillon Johnson to be ready for CFP championship game
Washington running back Dillon Johnson should be ready for Monday's College Football Playoff championship game, head coach Kalen DeBoer said Wednesday.
Johnson exited the Sugar Bowl on Monday with what appeared to be a serious foot injury. In the final minute of the game, Johnson went down after a third-down carry and needed to be helped off the field. The injury set up a potential nightmare scenario for Washington that it avoided with one final stop in the red zone.
The injury was an aggravation of a past foot injury for Johnson, who limped earlier in the game.
On Wednesday, DeBoer said he expected Johnson will be ready to face Michigan in Houston on Monday:
"This is just something he's been working through for a couple months now and just played through it.
"There's nothing as far as above and beyond what's happened in the past. Just kind of throughout the game, he'd reaggravate it and shake it off and go back out there and play. I guess my thoughts is he'll be ready to go. Obviously it's a quick week, quick turnaround, only seven days to get ready again.
"We'll be smart with how we prepare, and I guess that's my assumption not having talked to him today, but even knowing where we landed, as long as everything came out all right with everything, he was going to do everything he could to be on that football field next Monday."
Johnson, a transfer from Mississippi State, was a second-team All-Pac-12 selection this season and has posted career highs across the board in the Huskies' high-octane offense. The Texas defense proved to be a greater challenge on the ground, but he still posted 49 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries.
DeBoer didn't try to hide how important Johnson was to his offense:
"Him being a first-year guy with us, he's really come along in the second half of the year as the reps have added up, and he gets more opportunities. He's a big piece to it. I don't think I'd be able to sell it any other way. I think everyone would see through that.
"We have other guys that are ready to go if he's not able to step out there, but Dillon is I know going to do everything he can because he's putting his heart and soul into this season, this team all year long."
Washington is currently a 4.5-point underdog at BetMGM against the top-seeded Wolverines.
