Cedric Johnson and Suntarine Perkins earn SEC Player of the Week Honors

The Landshark Defense Earns Nod From Conference After Victory on the Plains

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – (Release) Ole Miss defensive end Cedric Johnson’s and linebacker Suntarine Perkins’ gritty performance against Auburn both grossed the pair player of the week honors, as announced by the conference on Monday morning.

Johnson earned SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week after he brought down five tackles and a team-high of two sacks for a loss of eight yards. The senior pushed his career sack total to 15.0 and is the Rebels’ active career leader.

Perkins netted his first conference award as the Co-SEC Freshman of the Week after he accounted for five tackles, four being solo, including a tackle for a loss of four yards. The Mississippi native leads all SEC freshmen and ranks fifth nationally among freshmen in sacks.

Together, the two limited the Tigers to 275 yards of total offense. The Landshark Defense contained Auburn to just 122 yards passing, the fewest by a Rebel opponent since holding Baylor to 40 in the 2022 Sugar Bowl, and the fewest against an SEC opponent since holding Mississippi State to 108 in 2019.

Next Up

Ole Miss is home this week to play host to Vanderbilt on Saturday, Oct. 28, with kickoff at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium set for 6:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network.

Evelyn Van Pelt

Evelyn has covered sports for over two decades, beginning her journalism career as a sports writer for a newspaper in Austin, Texas. She attended Texas A&M and majored in English. Evelyn’s love for Ole Miss began when her daughter Katie attended the university on a volleyball scholarship. Evelyn created the Rebel Walk in 2013 and has served as publisher and managing editor since its inception.