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Dec. 26—Ole Miss senior defensive end/outside linebacker Cedric Johnson has opted out of the Peach Bowl, Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin confirmed Tuesday. On3 first reported the news last Thursday.
Johnson is tied for the team lead with 5.5 sacks and had 19 in his Rebels career. The Mobile, Alabama native has an additional season of eligibility remaining due to the COVID-19 pandemic but has already committed to play in the Senior Bowl.
Kiffin previously said he did not expect any players to opt out of the bowl game but that “everybody else is here” for the game.
The No. 11 Rebels (10-2, 6-2 SEC) play No. 10 Penn State (7-2, Big Ten) in the Peach Bowl Saturday at 11 a.m.
“I probably jinxed myself by saying that, kind of a surprise to us,” Kiffin said during media availability Tuesday. ” … We wish him the best of luck and we’ll miss him. He was a really important part of this team, but everybody’s got to make their own decisions nowadays, and kids think about things differently. And so, it is what it is.”
Freshman linebacker Suntarine Perkins and senior edge rusher Isaac Ukwu will likely see increased snaps in Johnson’s absence. Perkins and Ukwu each have 3.5 sacks this season.
michael.katz@djournal.com
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/cedric-johnson-opts-peach-bowl-020500440.html
Author : Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, Tupelo
Publish date : 2023-12-27 02:05:00
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