2023 Peach Bowl first look: Previewing Ole Miss-Penn State
The Huge 10 and SEC will just get stronger next season when all the realignment in college football takes shape, so consider the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl a New Year’s 6 bowl initial for the 2024 season between 2 groups clawing to break through into championship contention in their particular conferences.For James Franklin and
Penn State, it’s a possibility to win 11 games for the 2nd straight season. It would be the fifth time in the last eight seasons the Nittany Lions won 11 games. Approved, the Penn State fans aren’t delighted about the 2-8 record against Michigan and Ohio State over the previous five seasons, however winning 11 games (as a Huge 10 member)is never something to take for granted.For Ole Miss, a win would give the Rebels their very first 11-win season in school history. Lane Kiffin has guided Ole Miss to 10-win routine seasons in two of the previous three years. Taking down a top-10 Penn State team in a New Year’s Six championship game would only cement the job Kiffin has actually done in making Ole Miss nationally appropriate. No. 11 Ole Miss vs. No. 10 Penn State Chick-fil-A
Peach Bowl When: Saturday, Dec. 30, midday ET Where: Mercedes-Benz Arena, Atlanta How to watch: ESPN and ESPN App Opening
line: Penn State -3.5 Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart tossed for 20 touchdowns and had just 5 interceptions this season. Justin Ford/Getty Images Secret player: QB Jaxson Dart When Ole Miss headed out in the offseason and brought in transfer quarterbacks Spencer Sanders from Oklahoma State and Walker Howard from LSU, there were concerns about how tough Dart’s hold was on the starting quarterback job. He responded to those concerns pretty rapidly by following up his very first season at Ole Miss after transferring over from USC with a 2023 season that easily ranked him amongst the upper tier of quarterbacks in the SEC. Dart was 11th nationally with a 161.8 passer score and joined LSU’s Jayden Daniels as the only two quarterbacks in the SEC with more than 2,900 passing yards and more than 300 hurrying yards.X aspect: RB Quinshon Judkins Editor’s Picks 2 Related After leading the SEC in rushing as a freshman, Judkins’production dipped some this season. But after a sluggish start, he came on in
the 2nd half of the season and eclipsed the 1,000-yard rushing
mark for the second straight season. He hurried for more than 100 lawns in five of his last 8 games to complete with 1,052 backyards and 15 touchdowns. He gives the Rebels the type of go-to running back that can wear down a defense and make it think twice about paying too much attention to Ole Miss passing game.How Ole Miss wins: Balance, balance and balance on offense Penn State is talented, quick and physical on defense. The Nittany Lions held nine of their 12 challengers to 15 or fewer points. The Rebels require to be able to mix it up on offense, and with Judkins playing his best football, that should make it more difficult for the Nittany Lions to fill up on the pass. Dart’s capability to run and rush must likewise pay dividends in this game. Penn State is 3rd nationally in hurrying defense and quiting simply 2.16 yards per carry. The Rebels can’t be predictable on offense, which they really never are under Kiffin, and will need to strike some huge plays and win the turnover fight.– Chris Low Penn State’s Nicholas Singleton and fellow sophomore teammate Kaytron Allen have combined for more than 1,500 rushing yards this season. AP Photo/Al Goldis Key player: RB Nicholas Singleton Singleton, a sophomore who was 57th total
in the 2022 ESPN 300, tape-recorded his very first 100-yard game of the season(118 yards)in a 42-0 triumph over Michigan State on Nov. 24. Singleton( 702 hurrying yards and 8 goals )and fellow sophomore Kaytron Allen(
851 rushing yards and six touchdowns)have supplied a dynamic one-two punch for an offense that has actually averaged 186.7 rushing yards a game (24th in the country). And Singleton and the Nittany Lions ‘offensive line– led by prospective first-round choice Olumuyiwa Fashanu– need to be primed to go up against a Ole Miss defense that has given up 151.9 rushing backyards per game( 67th nationally )and was gashed by Georgia to the tune of 300 yards during a 52-17 rout in Athens on Nov. 11.X element: QB Drew Allar came into the program with a lot of fanfare(No. 51 total in the 2022 ESPN 300 )and had huge shoes to fill as Sean Clifford finally proceeded. Allar (2,336 passing backyards and 23 TDs)has actually taken good care of the football, tossing just one interception. Offending coordinator Mike Yurcich was fired a day after losing to Michigan due to the fact that the death game (204.3 YPG; 91st in the FBS) had not produced enough all season. Allar hasn’t tossed for over 300 lawns because the season opener versus West Virginia. The Nittany Lions need to collectively find more explosive plays through the air. There might be opportunities for Allar, wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith and tight ends Theo Johnson and Tyler Warren as Mississippi’s defense gives up 220 passing lawns per game (60th nationally). How Penn State wins: Limit Ole Miss RB Quinshon Judkins Manny Diaz’s defense leads the country in total defense(223.3 YPG) and is third in rush defense(69.7 YPG ). Those stout numbers have actually allowed Penn State to manage the line of skirmish for most of the season. Blake Corum’s 145-yard day on Nov. 11 in Michigan’s 24-15 victory was really the only outlier where the Nittany Lions’
defense really had a hard time at the point of attack. Judkins
(1,052 lawns and 15 touchdowns )followed up his incredible freshman project with another strong year, pacing the SEC in rushing scores for a 2nd straight season. Not enabling Judkins to regularly discover his way into the second level of the defense and putting more responsibility on Jaxson Dart’s shoulders might be critical.– Blake Baumgartner