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Star Michigan defender Jabrill Peppers will be absent from Friday’s Orange Bowl due to a hamstring injury per Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network. There were earlier reports of Peppers dealing with a hamstring injury, however the junior was on field for pregame warmups, in full uniform.
According to Adam Schefter, Peppers injured the hamstring during practice this past week and may have not had enough time to recover.
This season, Peppers, a Heisman trophy finalst, played on all three units. On defense, he made three sacks, 66 tackles, and had one interception. Offensively at runningback, Peppers ran for 157 yards on 27 carries and had another three receiving yards on two catches. In all, he scored four touchdowns including his one on a punt return.
With Michigan’s defense arguably without its best defender, Florida State RB Dalvin Cook could see a different assignment on him. Throughout the season, Michigan’s defense has gone one-on-one with its opponents best player.