The 2023 Peach Bowl features the 10-2 Ole Miss Rebels against the 10-2 Penn State Nittany Lions. Here is the 2023 Peach Bowl Preview.
Ole Miss Rebels (10-2)
Ole Miss won 10 games to qualify for their fourth-straight bowl game. They defeated five bowl-eligible teams this season: Tulane, Georgia Tech, LSU, Auburn and Texas A&M. Both of their losses were to bowl-eligible teams.
The Rebels score 34.8 points per game, ranking them 21st in the country. They pass for 276.6 yards (ranked 27th) and rush for 179 yards per game (ranked 41st).
Jaxson Dart returned at quarterback for Ole Miss this season. He has passed for 2,985 yards, 20 touchdowns and five interceptions on 65.4 percent completion. Four pass-catchers have at least 300 yards this season for Ole Miss. Tre Harris, the top receiver, finished the regular season with 47 catches for 851 yards and eight touchdowns. Dayton Wade and Jordan Watkins also have had good seasons with 769 and 741 receiving yards respectively.
Two running backs do most of the damage on the ground for the Rebels. Quinshon Judkins, one of the top backs in the country, has rushed for 1,052 yards and 15 touchdowns this season. Behind him, Ulysess Bentley IV has 521 rushing yards and four touchdowns.
Defensively, Ole Miss allows 21.83 points per game, ranking 35th in the country. They give up 151.9 rushing yards (ranked 67th) and 220 passing yards per game (ranked 60th). Safety Trey Washington leads the team with 75 total tackles. Cedric Johnson has the team-high with 5.5 sacks. Daijahn Anthony has impressed in the secondary with seven passes defended and two interceptions.
Penn State Nittany Lions (10-2)
Penn State won 10 games to qualify for their third straight bowl game. They defeated five bowl-eligible teams on the season: West Virginia, Iowa, Northwestern, Maryland and Rutgers. Both of their losses came to top 10 teams: Ohio State and Michigan.
The Nittany Lions score 37.2 points per game, ranking them 12th in the FBS. They pass for 204.3 yards (ranked 93rd) and rush for 186.7 yards per game (ranked 25th).
Drew Allar took over the quarterback position this season for the Nittany Lions. He has passed for 2,336 yards, 23 touchdowns and one interception on 61.1 percent completion. Five players had 200 receiving yards during the regular season, but tight end Theo Johnson has opted out of the bowl game. KeAndre Lambert-Smith has led the team with 53 catches for 673 yards and four touchdowns.
Two running backs have split the carries in the backfield for the Nittany Lions. Kaytron Allen leads the team with 673 rushing yards and has found the end zone four times. Nicholas Singleton has been solid with 702 rushing yards and eight touchdowns.
On defense, Penn State allows 11.4 points per game, which ranks third in the country. They concede 69.7 rushing yards (ranked second) and 153.6 passing yards per game (ranked third). Kobe King and Kevin Winston Jr. have led the team with 54 and 51 total tackles respectively. Adisa Isaac has led the team with 7.5 sacks, but the pass rush will take a hit without the presence of Chop Robinson, who declared for the 2024 NFL Draft. Daequan Hardy has played well in the secondary with seven passes defended and two interceptions.
Prediction
Penn State had a solid season, but they lost to the two great teams they played. They didn’t push the ball downfield and defense could stack the box to stop the run. Ole Miss is a little more balanced and has defeated some solid teams this season.
Ole Miss Rebels 27 Penn State Nittany Lions 24
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