College Football
Preview
Mississippi vs Penn State
When: 12:00 PM ET, Saturday, December 30, 2023
Where: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia

Ole Miss and Penn State both had aspirations of playing on New Year's Day and perhaps beyond.

However, both lost to the two highest-ranked teams on their schedules.

So the No. 11 Rebels (10-2, 6-2 Southeastern Conference) and the No. 10 Nittany Lions (10-2, 7-2 Big Ten) will face each other in the Peach Bowl on Saturday in Atlanta.

"It wasn't our ultimate goal, for sure," Penn State quarterback Drew Allar said. "There's things I want to have back throughout the year, but that's what goes into next year and this game. We put in countless hours of work in the dark on our own and as a team since January, so when we don't get the results we want, it hurts."

Ole Miss came up short against Alabama and Georgia, and Penn State came up short against Michigan and Ohio State.

"We expect more of ourselves, but you can see winning in college football is difficult week in and week out," Penn State offensive lineman Olu Fashanu said. "Anything is possible in college football, so to go 10-2 is difficult, but it's still not our standard."

The Nittany Lions finished 11-2 a year ago after a 35-21 victory against Utah in the Rose Bowl.

"When you look around, there's not a lot of teams who can say they've won 10 games in the last two years and gone to the bowl games we have," Nittany Lions tight end Tyler Warren said, "so I know as a team we're appreciative and we know we can keep getting better."

A victory would make Penn State the first school to win all of the New Year's Six bowls. The Nittany Lions are making their Peach Bowl debut in their first game against the Rebels.

Penn State and Ole Miss figure to be closer to full strength than many bowl teams. Nittany Lions All-Big Ten defensive end Chop Robinson opted out. Six other Penn State players declared for the NFL draft but made the trip and might play limited reps.

Ole Miss appears to have only one major opt-out, defensive end Cedric Johnson, who had 5.5 of his 19 career sacks this season.

The Rebels finished 15th in the country in total offense (455.4 yards per game) in the regular season, while the Nittany Lions were first in total defense (223.2).

"We're one of the best offenses in the country and they're one of the best defenses in the country," Ole Miss wide receiver Jordan Watkins said. "Any time you have one of the best go up against each other, obviously it's going to be cool to watch."

The Rebels are making their second New Year's Six appearance in the past three seasons under Lane Kiffin. The fourth-year head coach signed a contract extension after leading the 2021 team and the 2023 team to the only 10-win regular seasons in school history.

Penn State leads the nation in turnover margin (plus-18) and the Rebels are tied for 12th (plus-9).

"Both teams do a really good job turnover-wise," Kiffin said. "This will probably be one of those games that you have to really play well in all areas to go down to the wire and make some plays at the end."

--Field Level Media

Stats and Records
Team Comparison
  W‑L Strk PF PA Home Away Grass Turf Conf
Mississippi 10-2 W2 34.8 22.3 7-0 3-2 9-2 0-0 6-2
Penn State 10-2 W2 37.2 11.4 6-1 4-1 7-1 0-0 7-2
Last Meeting
Mississippi Penn State
Date Away Home Tot Rus Pas Tot Rus Pas
No previous meeting.
Player Stats
Previous Matchup
Passing Player COMP % YDS TD INT
Mississippi N/A
Penn State N/A
Rushing Player CAR YDS AVG TD
Mississippi N/A
Penn State N/A
Receiving Player REC YDS AVG TD
Mississippi N/A
Penn State N/A
Touchdowns Player TD
Mississippi N/A
Penn State N/A
Season
Passing Player COMP % YDS TD INT
Mississippi J. Dart 65.2 2985 20 5
Penn State D. Allar 61.3 2336 23 1
Rushing Player CAR YDS AVG TD
Mississippi Q. Judkins 237 1052 4.4 15
Penn State K. Allen 162 851 5.3 6
Receiving Player REC YDS AVG TD
Mississippi T. Harris 47 851 18.1 8
Penn State K. Lambert-Smith 53 673 12.7 4
Touchdowns Player TD
Mississippi Q. Judkins 16
Penn State N. Singleton 9
Quickchart Matchup
Mississippi Mississippi Off vs  Penn State Penn State Def
Mississippi 455.6 yards
Penn State 223.2 yards
Mississippi 4.4 yards/rush
Penn State 2.2 yards/rush
Mississippi 9.4 yards/attempt
Penn State 6.2 yards/attempt
Penn State Penn State Off vs  Mississippi Mississippi Def
Penn State 391 yards
Mississippi 371.9 yards
Penn State 4.6 yards/rush
Mississippi 3.9 yards/rush
Penn State 6.6 yards/attempt
Mississippi 7.1 yards/attempt