Peach Bowl: Four Keys to an Ole Miss win over Penn State
ATLANTA — The No. 11 Ole Miss Rebels take on the No. 10 Penn State Nittany Lions in the Peach Bowl Saturday in Atlanta. A victory for Ole Miss would be historic for the program as no Rebel football team has ever one 11 games in a season.
Here are four keys to an Ole Miss win:
Get To Allar
Penn State boasts one of the best offensive lines in the country. They have allowed Nittany Lion quarterback Drew Allar to be sacked just a total of 12 times in 12 games in 2023.
Allar has done an excellent job of taking care of the ball, also, as he has only been picked off once this season. He has done exceptionally well on passes between 0-9 yards down field. Of his 352 pass attempts this season, 151 of them have come in the 0-9 yard range (43%).
With that said, the Ole Miss front seven will have to get him off his game in their efforts to win the 2023 Peach Bowl. When Allar has been pressured this season he has only completed 36% of his passes — compared to 70% when not pressured.
While it will be a tough task to pressure a quarterback that gets the ball out as quickly as Allar does, the Rebels will have to make a concerted effort to take every shot they can at him. The secondary can also help the Ole Miss defensive front by covering well and knocking Allar off his primary read, giving guys like JJ Pegues and Jared Ivey more time to pressure him.
Protect Dart
Penn State is the country’s leader in sacks this season with 48 sacks recorded in 12 games. Adisa Isaac leads the Nittany Lions with 7.5 sacks.
Ole Miss has had some time off since the Rebels’ last game which should prove to be beneficial as the offensive line was a bit banged up down the stretch. The unit will be missing right tackle Micah Pettus who suffered a season-ending injury to his foot. But that being said, the Rebels are versatile on the o-line and that should help.
Offensive coordinator Charlie Weis talked about the o-line’s flexibility earlier this week:
“I think we’re fortunate to have guys up front that are adaptable and can play different positions, guys like Jeremy James and our center Bucky. Jeremy can play guard or tackle, and Bucky can play center or guard. So we’re deeper there than we were last year, and that helps with it right there. Giving those guys time to heal up and recover and rest, it’s a long season for those guys. A lot of those guys those last three games were playing a ton of snaps. It’s good to get them some rest and get them back going. I think it’s great we have guys that have got position flexibility, and that allows us to be creative in where we play our guys. Looking forward to seeing those guys a little bit healthier as we go into this game on Saturday.”
Coach Charlie Weis on the O-line
Penn State defensive tackle Dvon Ellies talked about stopping Dart.
“I believe it’s going to start up front. The best way to get to the quarterback is through the offensive line, and we really respect Ole Miss’ offensive line. So we’re going to do our best as a defensive line to operate at a much higher level a lot faster to keep up with an explosive, quick offense.”
Dvon Ellies on stopping Jaxson Dart
While Penn State has plenty of guys who can get after the passer, it is worth noting that the Nittany Lions’ star edge rusher Chop Robinson will not play in the Peach Bowl as he has declared for the draft. But regardless of opt-outs, the Penn State defense is stout, giving up just 223.2 yards per game –the fewest in the country.
Jaxson Dart has to be kept upright in this contest for the Rebels to succeed. If the Ole Miss offensive front can do so and let Dart make his reads and establish a rhythm in the game, things will likely work out for the Rebels.
Start Fast — and Play Fast
Lane Kiffin loves to open the game with the ball. If Ole Miss wins the toss he will certainly decide to take the ball as he has every game this season. Regardless which side of the ball is on the field to open the game, however, the Rebels need to make a statement. In big games like this one, momentum is everything. It’ll be harder to draw energy from the crowd as it is a neutral site so Ole Miss will have to bring it on the field. Going up 7-0 on this first drive or forcing a Penn State punt to open the game will set a good tone.
The Nittany Lions, to a man, in the press conferences this week talked about the quick tempo of Ole Miss. So if the Rebels are able to start fast — and play fast — the tempo game could cause Penn State some trouble.
Defensive coordinator Anthony Poindexter talked about what his Nittany Lions will need to do.
“The first challenge is the tempo. You see it sometimes, but we haven’t really seen it on a consistent basis like throughout the game like they do…I just don’t know if we’ve faced a team that consistently throughout a game tempo that way.
Coach Poindexter on Ole Miss’ offense
Handle Adversity and Finish
One huge difference between this Ole Miss team and last year’s team is how they finish games. It might not always be pretty, but this year’s Rebels have found a way several times this season to either come from behind, as in the LSU game, or stifle their opponent’s efforts to do so in the waning moments, as in the A&M game.
It may sound simple, but the team that handles adversity the best late in this game will win. Ole Miss has proven it can do so. The 2023 Rebel players — and head coach Lane Kiffin — have talked all season about how the culture of this team includes a very strong chemistry. They play together and they don’t quit.
A win in this game would mark the program’s first 11-win season, as mentioned above, but it would also sky-rocket the Rebels’ momentum going in to 2024. Many analysts suggest that the winner of this game could start next season in the top 5 in the nation.
Game info
Kickoff in the 2023 Peach Bowl is set for 11:00 a.m. CT on Saturday, December 29. The game will be broadcast on ESPN. Hotty Toddy!
Nick Filipich
Nick Filipich was born and raised in Biloxi, MS. He is an Ole Miss alum with a degree in Sports and Recreation Administration. A sports junkie with a great passion for all things Ole Miss, Nick played baseball and football in high school — which is where he discovered his love for sports. He is an avid Braves and Saints fan, and in his free time enjoys spending time with family, friends and his black lab, Dixie.
