The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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24 THE WOLVERINE ❱ DECEMBER 2024 STEPPING FORWARD Veteran Quinten Johnson Boosts Banged-Up Secondary BY JOHN BORTON M ichigan controlled the an- nual grudge match with in- state rival Michigan State for most of the night, leading by two touchdowns midway through the fourth quarter. But with just under two minutes remaining, the Spartans owned the ball and a chance. They trailed by a single score, 24-17, and only 16 yards separated them from the tying touchdown. Michigan pressure forced MSU quarterback Aidan Chiles to roll right and fire into the end zone for a shot at overtime. On fourth down, his toss never reached a receiver. Instead, a veteran defensive back who'd waited an entire career for this moment slashed in and stopped the Spartans cold. Grad safety Quinten Johnson cut in front of an MSU target, knocking the ball down and igniting a huge celebration under the lights in The Big House. Johnson looked like the least happy individual in the stadium at that mo- ment, outside of the Spartans' players, coaches and vastly outnumbered fans. He showed some frustration at not se- curing the pickoff, despite the breakup changing possession just as effectively. Later, Johnson reflected on one of the best moments of Michigan's season thus far. "Yeah, I did want the interception," he acknowledged. "On that play, they had 'fire in the hole,' which basically means a receiver in the backfield. Typically, when they start off with a receiver in the back- field, they either want to feature him or use him as a decoy. That's a concept that's highly favored in the red zone. A lot of teams run it. "So, I was thinking we were going to get something like that, especially when they saw we were in man coverage. The QB broke out of the pocket, and it's just read the QB's eyes and see where he wants to go with the ball." He wanted to go toward Johnson's area. Just like he has been for six years in a Michigan uniform, Johnson stood ready. Johnson stands with so many Wolver- ines this season who have long waited their turn to consistently see the starting lineup. The defensive back out of Wash- ington, D.C., didn't see the field as a freshman, and got on the field for special teams in just two games of the truncated 2020 campaign. He played in 14 contests on special teams in Michigan's break- through Big Ten title season of 2021, then another 14 — including eight at safety — in the conference championship cam- paign of 2022. Last year, he began getting serious time as a backup in the secondary, se- curing 22 tackles and 1 interception. His pickoff came against Bowling Green, and at the other end of the competition spec- trum, Johnson forced a fumble against Alabama in the Rose Bowl. He broke through as a starter this season, enjoying This season has been Johnson's breakthrough as a starter, and he enjoyed two of his best games in Michigan's two biggest wins to date — 5 tackles and a pass breakup against USC, and 2 break- ups with a stop versus the Spartans. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL