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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Peach Buzz: Sizing Up the Nittany Lions
12/6/2023 | Football
Presented by Kroger
OXFORD, Miss. – The 2023 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl will pit one of the nation's best offenses against one of the nation's best defenses when No. 11 Ole Miss football takes on No. 10 Penn State on Dec. 30 at 11 a.m. CT on ESPN.
Lane Kiffin and the Rebels are set to make their second New Year's Six bowl appearance in the past three seasons when they meet the Nittany Lions at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. And on paper, a foe similar to the one Ole Miss last met in a NY6 bowl will await.
The 2021-22 Baylor Bears were one of college football's top 10 scoring defenses when they clashed with Ole Miss in the 2022 Sugar Bowl. This time around, the Rebels will take on a Nittany Lion defense that allowed just 11.4 points per game in the regular season, good for third in the nation.
Arguably the stingiest defense in college football, Penn State allowed the fewest total yards per game in FBS this season, yielding just 223.3 yards per contest. Displaying no apparent weaknesses, PSU ranked third in the nation against both the pass and the rush.
Ole Miss will need all of its balanced attack to find success in Atlanta. The Rebels are 15th nationally in total offense, averaging more than double what the PSU defense allows at 455.4 yards per game. Ole Miss averages 34.8 points per game, more than triple that of the Penn State defensive average.
"I got an early report from my personnel people that phenomenal players, great starters on defense. I was hoping Coach Franklin was going to announce they're opting out," Kiffin said in the bowl announcement presser. "That would help us with that too. So that's all I know."
Some good news for the Rebel offense: PSU will be without one of its top defensive players, Chop Robinson, who announced this week that he was opting out of the bowl to prepare for the NFL Draft after notching 7.5 TFLs, four sacks and a team-high five QB hurries in 10 games this year.
On the other side of the ball, the Ole Miss defense will have its hands full stopping a Penn State offense that ranked No. 12 nationally with 37.2 points per game.
The Rebel defense will have to key in on stopping a Nittany Lion rushing attack that averages 186.7 yards per contest behind a two-headed rushing attack of Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton. By contrast, PSU averages only 204.3 passing yards, No. 93 in FBS.
Tickets are available now to see the heavyweight bout between two 10-win teams. Visit OleMissTix.com today to join the Rebs in Atlanta. Want to know when tickets go on sale for the 2024 football season? Join our interest list and be the first to know.
Lane Kiffin and the Rebels are set to make their second New Year's Six bowl appearance in the past three seasons when they meet the Nittany Lions at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. And on paper, a foe similar to the one Ole Miss last met in a NY6 bowl will await.
The 2021-22 Baylor Bears were one of college football's top 10 scoring defenses when they clashed with Ole Miss in the 2022 Sugar Bowl. This time around, the Rebels will take on a Nittany Lion defense that allowed just 11.4 points per game in the regular season, good for third in the nation.
Arguably the stingiest defense in college football, Penn State allowed the fewest total yards per game in FBS this season, yielding just 223.3 yards per contest. Displaying no apparent weaknesses, PSU ranked third in the nation against both the pass and the rush.
Ole Miss will need all of its balanced attack to find success in Atlanta. The Rebels are 15th nationally in total offense, averaging more than double what the PSU defense allows at 455.4 yards per game. Ole Miss averages 34.8 points per game, more than triple that of the Penn State defensive average.
"I got an early report from my personnel people that phenomenal players, great starters on defense. I was hoping Coach Franklin was going to announce they're opting out," Kiffin said in the bowl announcement presser. "That would help us with that too. So that's all I know."
Some good news for the Rebel offense: PSU will be without one of its top defensive players, Chop Robinson, who announced this week that he was opting out of the bowl to prepare for the NFL Draft after notching 7.5 TFLs, four sacks and a team-high five QB hurries in 10 games this year.
On the other side of the ball, the Ole Miss defense will have its hands full stopping a Penn State offense that ranked No. 12 nationally with 37.2 points per game.
The Rebel defense will have to key in on stopping a Nittany Lion rushing attack that averages 186.7 yards per contest behind a two-headed rushing attack of Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton. By contrast, PSU averages only 204.3 passing yards, No. 93 in FBS.
Tickets are available now to see the heavyweight bout between two 10-win teams. Visit OleMissTix.com today to join the Rebs in Atlanta. Want to know when tickets go on sale for the 2024 football season? Join our interest list and be the first to know.
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