Missouri’s Shane Ray was ejected in the second quarter of the SEC Championship game on Saturday in the Georgia Dome after hitting Alabama quarterback Blake Sims in the chest and chin.
Ray was closing in for a sack when Sims unleashed a 58-yard touchdown pass to DeAndrew White to give the Tide a 14-0 lead with 11:48 left in the first half. Ray lowered his helmet and hit Sims.
After reviewing the play, the officials ejected Ray for targeting.
Ray, a 6-foot-3, 245-pound defensive end, is arguably the Tigers’ best defensive player with an SEC-leading 13 ½ sacks. He had two tackles and one-half sack before leaving the game.
The Tigers, the SEC’s leaders with 40 sacks, were having a difficult time getting to Sims even with Ray, posting one sack in the first 1 1/2 quarters on 11 pass attempts.
Ray was also called for a late hit on Arkansas’ quarterback last week.
