Big Ten's No. 10 Penn State to have top-ranked defense tested by SEC's No. 11 Ole Miss in Peach Bowl
Mississippi running back Quinshon Judkins (4) runs the ball during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Louisiana Monroe in Oxford, Miss., Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023. The much-anticipated matchup in Saturday’s Peach Bowl is No. 10 Penn State’s top-ranked defense against No. 11 Mississippi’s up-tempo offense. Credit: AP/Thomas Graning
No. 11 Mississippi (10-2) vs. No. 10 Penn State (10-2), Saturday, Noon ET (ESPN)
FanDuel Sportsbook College Line: Penn State by 4 1/2
Series record: This will be the first meeting between the teams.
WHAT’S AT STAKE
Penn State is looking to complete its list of wins in all of the New Year's Six bowl games. Ole Miss will be playing to become the first 11-win team in the 129-year history of the program. Each of the teams will aim to establish momentum for a 2024 season and a move into the new 12-team College Football Playoff. Ole Miss is playing in its second New Year’s Six bowl in the last three seasons, following a 21-7 loss to Baylor in the 2021 Sugar Bowl.
KEY MATCHUP
Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart vs. Penn State's No. 1 defense. Dart passed for 2,985 yards with 20 touchdowns and rushed for 377 yards with seven touchdowns. He leads an up-tempo offense challenged by a Nittany Lions defense that allowed the fewest yards and first downs and collected the most sacks in the nation. Penn State set a school record with 48 sacks, including 7.5 by defensive end Adisa Isaac.
Penn State quarterback Drew Allar passes against Michigan during the second half of an NCAA college football game Nov. 11, 2023, in State College, Pa. Mississippi will play for the first 11-win season in school history when the Rebels of the Southeastern Conference, led by quarterback Jaxson Dart, face Penn State, led by Allar, in the Peach Bowl, Saturday, Dec. 30, 2023. Credit: AP/Barry Reeger
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Ole Miss: Three senior wide receivers, Tre Harris, Dayton Wade and Jordan Watkins, each has more than 700 receiving yards. Harris leads the group with 851 yards, eight touchdowns and 18.1 yards per catch. Harris had 11 catches for 213 yards against Texas A&M and had four scoring catches against Mercer. Rebels sophomore RB Quinshon Judkins joined Georgia’s 1982 Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker as the only SEC players to rush for at least 1,000 yards with at least 15 touchdowns in each of his first two seasons.
Penn State: Sophomore quarterback Drew Allar passed for 2,336 yards with 23 touchdowns and only one interception while completing 61.1% of his passes. Since 2000, only three other FBS quarterbacks threw for at least 20 touchdowns with only one interception through 12 games: Ohio State’s Justin Fields (2019); Western Michigan’s Zach Terrell (2016) and South Carolina’s Connor Shaw (2013). Allar has also rushed for four touchdowns.
FACTS & FIGURES
Mississippi quarterback Jaxson Dart (2) warms up before an NCAA college football game against Louisiana Monroe in Oxford, Miss., Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023. The much-anticipated matchup in Saturday’s Peach Bowl is No. 10 Penn State’s top-ranked defense against No. 11 Mississippi’s up-tempo offense. Credit: AP/Thomas Graning
This will be Penn State's first Peach Bowl appearance. ... Penn State is 25-24 against current members of the SEC, with 21 of the 49 games coming in bowl games. This includes games against current SEC teams before entering the league. ... Penn State is 9-10 against the SEC in bowl games when those SEC teams were in the league. ... The Nittany Lions are 31-19-2 in bowl games, including a 35-21 win over Utah in the Rose Bowl following last season. ... Penn State also has played in another Rose, a Cotton, Fiesta, Citrus and Outback bowls under coach James Franklin. ... Ole Miss has a 24-15 bowl record, including 1-1 in the Peach Bowl. ... Ole Miss beat Georgia Tech 41-18 in the 1971 Peach Bowl, the first time the game was played at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. The Rebels lost to TCU 42-3 at the Georgia Dome following the 2014 season. ... The sold-out game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium will be the third Peach Bowl and third venue for the Rebels. ... Coach Lane Kiffin, who has guided the Rebels to four consecutive bowl berths and two New Year’s Six bowl appearances in the past three years, had a contract extension announced on Dec. 19.
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