Peach Bowl Preview: An Early Look at the Rebels’ Opponent, No. 10 Penn State
OXFORD, Miss. — Ole Miss and Penn State are set to play in the 2023 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on December 30th at 11am CST. The No. 11 Rebels and the No. 10 Nittany Lions will face each other for the first time in history.
Here is a look at the team Ole Miss will face in its New Year’s Six game.
This season, Penn State has a record of 10-2 with their two losses coming on the road to Ohio State and at home against Michigan. The Nittany Lions are ranked twelfth in the country in points per game (37.2) and third in the country in points allowed per game (11.4). They have a fairly balanced offense, averaging 204.3 passing yards per game and 186.7 rushing yards a game.
What stands out most about this Penn State team is what they do on defense. They are No. 1 in the country in total defense, giving up just 223.2 yards per game (153.6 passing yards per game and 69.7 rushing yards per game). They also average two takeaways per game.
The Nittany Lions are led by head coach James Franklin who is currently in his tenth season as Penn State’s head coach. Over those ten years, he has led the team to a 88-38 overall record which includes three 11-win seasons and a Big 10 Championship in 2016. Before arriving at Penn State, Franklin was the head coach at Vanderbilt. In his three years as head coach the Commodores had two 9-win seasons and also finished in the AP Top 25.
On offense, Penn State quarterback Drew Allar takes care of the football with 23 touchdowns to just one interception this season. Like Ole Miss, the Nittany Lions have two very capable running backs, Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton. Allen has 162 carries for 851 yards and six touchdowns while Singleton has 163 carries for 702 yards and eight touchdowns.
Most teams would be looking at a 3rd & 3 on the next play…
Most teams don’t have @kaytron_allen though… 💪😳 pic.twitter.com/5F65PfJIrf
— Inch & Co. Sports (@inchandcosports) August 14, 2023
Penn State’s top pass-catcher is Keandre Lambert-Smith who has 53 receptions for 673 yards and four touchdowns.
Penn State’s Drew Allar is already looking like the real deal… some sick pocket navigation before a fantastic off-platform throw.
Good reminder that KeAndre Lambert-Smith is going to be a huge riser in the 2024 NFL Draft class too. pic.twitter.com/vIIET84QvJ
— Bobby Football (@Rob__Paul) September 2, 2023
Left tackle Olu Fashanu is projected to be a top-five pick in the upcoming NFL. Whether or not he decides to play in the Peach Bowl was yet to be determined at the time of writing this article.
Penn State All-Big Ten: Olu Fashanu OL of the Year, QB Drew Allar Honorable Mention https://t.co/SnssCoaI6N pic.twitter.com/MSRcpisFdO
— Nittany Sports Now (@NittanySN) November 29, 2023
It is worth pointing out that the Nittany Lions fired offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich back on November 12 and have hired Andy Koltelnicki, former Kansas offensive coordinator, as his replacement.
Defensively, the Nittany Lions have been as stout as they come. They have two players on that side of the ball who are projected first-rounders in the 2024 NFL Draft in cornerback Kalen King and defensive end Chop Robinson.
Here’s a highlight reel of Penn State DB Kalen King. Watch out for this stud. 📈
(H/t: sickeditz/YT) pic.twitter.com/Kbr7000K5I
— College Football Alerts (@CFBAlerts_) August 18, 2023
Robinson announced, via Twitter, he will be declaring for the NFL Draft and will not play in the Peach Bowl.
Thank you Penn State! 💙#44out pic.twitter.com/xnqntV57DJ
— Chop (@chopyoungbull) December 5, 2023
As far as numbers are concerned, linebacker Kobe King (Kalen’s brother) leads the team with 54 tackles. Defensive end Adisa Isaa leads the team in both tackles for loss and sacks with 15 and 7.5 respectively.
Adisa Isaac and Kobe King sandwich Kyle McCord inside the five yard line
Penn State forces a punt pic.twitter.com/bYVtAPgXC9
— Micheal Bolger (@MichealBolger) October 21, 2023
Stay tuned to The Rebel Walk as we will have much more to come leading up to the Peach Bowl!
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.
