Collegiate titans as the No. 11 Ole Miss Rebels prepare to battle the No. 10 Penn State Nittany Lions in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, marking their first-ever showdown, this upcoming December 30 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium; the stakes could scarcely be higher with both teams sporting impressive 10-2 records enhancing the matchup's allure, according to FOX 5 Atlanta. Ole Miss yearns for redemption after their 2021 Sugar Bowl loss to Baylor and Penn State recalls their striking 42-0 season-finale victory against Michigan State.
The potent Rebels offense, racking up an eye-opening 455.4 yards per game and led by the dual-threat quarterback Jaxson Dart, looks to disrupt the stalwart Penn State defense, which has only allowed a meager 223.2 yards per game; in light of this, FOX Sports analyst Joel Klatt casts his lot with the Nittany Lions by a slim margin, stating on his show that "Penn State is favored by three and a half... I'm going to go with Penn State because that defense is going to do a nice job against (Quinshon) Judkins, but I think that could be a close game.", as reported by Athlon Sports.
Both teams are coming into the Peach Bowl with their coaching staff intact; particularly notable is Ole Miss' tight ends coach John David Baker, who's accepted the offensive coordinator role at East Carolina but vowed to keep his game-day priorities with the Rebels through the bowl game, something head coach Lane Kiffin expressed, "I’m very excited about JDB getting that job and being able to call plays," Kiffin told FOX 5 Atlanta, "he can do both jobs and still coach for us."
Ole Miss players seem equally committed to the collective cause, as Kiffin hasn't anticipated any opt-outs to prepare for the NFL draft before the game, stating, "I would expect that we don’t have any,", with James Franklin of Penn State adding "We’re kind of not in one of those years where we have some first-rounders coming out that are concerned about injuries. ... I don’t think we have guys really in that conversation.", quoted by FOX 5 Atlanta.
