MISSISSIPPI REBELS NOTES:
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
• Ole Miss is making its fourth straight bowl appearance under Lane Kiffin. • At 10-2, the 2023 Rebels are looking to become the first 11-win team in the 129-season history of Ole Miss football. • This will be Ole Miss’ third ever appearance in the Peach Bowl, its first since 2014. • Ole Miss now ranks third in the SEC, eighth nationally with four NY6 appearances, two coming under Kiffin. • The Rebels are 24-15 in bowl games and 11-4 in its last 15 on the field dating back to the 1997 Motor City Bowl. • This marks the first ever meeting between Ole Miss and Penn State … The Rebels are 3-4 all-time against the current Big Ten, including a 2-1 mark in bowl games. • Ole Miss (.615) and Penn State (.620) rank among nine FBS teams with a bowl winning percentage of at least .600. • Since 2020, Ole Miss leads all SEC teams, ranks second in FBS at 497.4 yards per game. • Ole Miss leads the SEC in fewest turnovers (7, FBS No. 3), turnover margin (+9, FBS No. 12) and INTs (12). • RB Quinshon Judkins ranks fifth all-time among SEC rushers in yards through Fr./So. seasons (2,619). • Judkins is one of eight rushers in FBS history and two in SEC history with 1,000 yards/15 TD in both Fr./So. seasons. • Judkins leads the SEC with 15 rushing TD, one shy of his 2022 Ole Miss record. • Judkins leads the SEC in yards after contact at 795, good for 75.6 percent of his season total (1,052). • WR Tre Harris is the only FBS receiver this season with both a 200yd game and a four touchdown performance. • Ole Miss is 1-of-3 FBS schools w/three 700yd WRs: Harris (851), Jordan Watkins (741) and Dayton Wade (769). • QB Jaxson Dart is 11 rushing yards shy of becoming the third QB ever at Ole Miss in the 5K/1K club. • Of Ole Miss’ 5,465 total yards, 3,870 (70.8%) have come from transfers. • OL Jeremy James is set to tie the all-time Ole Miss career record in starts (49).
NITTANY LIONS SCOUTING REPORT
No. 10 Penn State enters its Peach Bowl matchup with the Rebels with a record of 10-2 overall and a 7-2 mark in Big 10 play this season. The Nittany Lions’ only losses this season came to top-10 Michigan and Ohio State. Offensively, Penn State is averaging 391.0 yards per game with 186.7 rushing yards per game. Quarterback Drew Allar has thrown 23 touchdowns this season with just one interception. He’s the first quarterback in Penn State history to throw for 10 or more touchdowns before throwing an interception in a season. Sophomores Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton provide a one-two punch on the ground with 851 rushing yards and 702 yards respectively. Tight end Tyler Warren is tied for third in the FBS in receiving touchdowns this season. All-America selection Olumuyiwa Fashanu leads a Penn State offensive line that ranks in the top 20 nationally in fewest sacks allowed. Penn State features the country’s top defense, allowing just 223.2 yards per game. The Nittany Lions also rank No. 1 in the FBS with 48 team sacks, only allowing 11.4 points per game. Penn State also leads the country in turnover margin, at plus-18. Linebacker Kobe King leads Penn State with 54 total tackles this year, while defensive end Adisa Isaac ranks No. 22 in the FBS with 15 tackles for loss. Nine different Nittany Lions have at least one interception on the season.
OLE MISS BOWL HISTORY
The 2023 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl will be Ole Miss’ 41st bowl appearance in program history, as well as its third appearance in the Peach Bowl. The Rebels’ all-time bowl record stands at 24-15, excluding a vacated victory in the 2013 BBVA Compass Bowl. Ole Miss ranks third in the SEC and tied for eighth in the FBS in bowl win percentage at .615. Elsewhere in the bowl record book, Ole Miss is tied for 15th nationally in bowl wins and tied for 20th in bowl appearances. Ole Miss is 11-4 in its last 15 bowl games, including a streak of six straight victories from 2002 to 2013.
NEW YEAR’S SIX BOWL-ING
The Rebels’ berth to the 2023 Peach Bowl marks the fourth New Year’s Six appearance for Ole Miss since its inception at the beginning of the College Football Playoff in 2014, as well as the second under head coach Lane Kiffin after an appearance in the 2022 Sugar Bowl following the 2021 season. At four total NY6 bids, the Rebels rank tied for eighth nationally among FBS schools and third in the SEC behind only Alabama (9) and Georgia (7).
GET YOUR POPCORN
When Ole Miss and Penn State meet at the Peach Bowl on Dec. 30, it will be among the top bowl games nationally this season in terms of combined historical impact. At a .615 bowl winning percentage that ranks tied for eighth all-time, the Rebels will go toe-to-toe with one of just eight other schools with a .600 winning percentage in at least 25 appearances against the Nittany Lions, which holds the No. 6 ranking at a .620 clip. This year’s Peach Bowl will be one of just two contests in the Bowl Season to feature two teams historically above .600 in bowl games, with the other being the Orange Bowl between Georgia (.638) and Florida State (.630). The Peach Bowl will also be among just four bowl games with at least 94 combined appearances and at least 50 combined wins alongside the Rose, Orange and Sugar Bowls.
REBELS VERSUS BIG TEN OPPONENTS
• Ole Miss has a 3-4 record against current members of the Big Ten, 2-1 in bowls: 2021 Outback Bowl (vs. Indiana, W, 26-20), 2002 Independence Bowl (vs. Nebraska, W, 27-23), 1991 Gator Bowl (vs. Michigan, L, 35-3).
HIGH-FLYING OFFENSE
Ole Miss heads into bowl season with the SEC’s No. 3 offense at 455.4 yards per game (FBS No. 15) and the conference’s No. 4 scoring offense at 34.8 points per game (FBS No. 19). Impressively, the Rebels have done so against strong competition through 11 games, holding the 13th-toughest strength of schedule ranking in the FBS and the fourthtoughest overall in the SEC. Ole Miss has proven deadly both through the air and on the ground, as the Rebels are one of just two FBS teams (alongside Washington) with a 500-yard passing outing (524, vs. Mercer, No. 2 FBS) and a 300-yard rushing outing (317, vs. LSU) this season.
WINNING THE TURNOVER BATTLE
Ole Miss leads the SEC and ranks 12th in the FBS in turnover margin, currently sitting at a total season margin of +9 and a per-game margin of +0.8. The Rebel defense has done its part with its SEC-leading 12 interceptions and four fumble recoveries, but it’s been the powerful — yet careful — Ole Miss offense that has helped pad that margin, currently leading the SEC and ranking third nationally at just seven turnovers all season.
STINGY DEFENSE
The Landshark defense went on a tear in October, helping lift Ole Miss in three straight victories against Arkansas, Auburn and Vanderbilt, but doing so in different ways. The Rebel defense stifled the Razorbacks to just 36 yards on the ground back on Oct. 7, the fewest yielded to an SEC opponent by Ole Miss since shutting out Tennessee to zero rushing yards back on Oct. 18, 2014. Ole Miss followed that up with lockdown passing defense performances against Auburn, Vanderbilt and ULM that rank among the best by the Rebels since 2014 — with the 60 yielded to the Commodores tying to the fewest in that span. In terms of total offense, those three games against Arkansas (288), Auburn (275) and Vanderbilt (229) constituted the first three-game stretch of holding SEC opponents to fewer than 300 yards since a span from the end of the 2008 season (vs. Mississippi State, 24 yards) and the beginning of the 2009 season (at South Carolina, 285 yards; at Vanderbilt, 240 yards). The last time Ole Miss held three straight SEC opponents to fewer than 300 yards within the same season was in 1993 in a stretch against Alabama (279), LSU (299) and Mississippi State (279).
CAUSING MAYHEM
Ole Miss ranks as one of the most ferocious defenses in the backfield this season, ranking 16th nationally in sacks (2.8/ game) and 25th in tackles for loss (6.4/game). The Rebels have been relentless, recording at least 3.0 TFL in 11 of 12 games this season, with eight of 12 games hitting at least 6.0 TFL, four with at least 9.0 TFL, and two in double-digits against Mercer in the season-opener (11.0) and against Arkansas on Oct. 7 (10.0). Those TFL have come at a huge cost for opposing teams as well, as the Rebels rank fifth in the SEC and are 15th nationally in lost yardage at 355 yards. Ole Miss has equally been as punishing in disrupting the passing game, notching multiple sacks in nine games, recording at least four sacks in five and notching five sacks twice this year. A wide range of defenders have been getting in on the fun, too, with a total of 14 Rebels contributing to a QB sack and 22 having chipped-in on a TFL. And all that mayhem is paying off, with nine forced fumbles (including a Khari Coleman sack fumble returned for a TD by Jared Ivey vs. Tulane), 12 interceptions, 47 QB hurries, 44 pass breakups and two blocked field goals. In the Kiffin era, Ole Miss has recorded multiple sacks in 34 games, at least 5.0 tackles for loss in 31 games, and at least 4.0 sacks in 18 games. In games under Kiffin with at least 5.0 tackles for loss, Ole Miss is 22-9, and in games with at least 4.0 sacks, the Rebels are 10-3.
NO-FLY ZONE
Ole Miss leads the SEC and ranks 22nd in the FBS with 12 interceptions this season. The Rebel secondary put together an excellent stretch of games beginning with S Daijahn Anthony’s game-sealing pass breakup against No. 12 LSU on Sept. 30, yielding just 437 combined passing yards over its next three games to Arkansas (250), Auburn (122) and Vanderbilt (60). Since, the Rebel defensive backs have combined for nine interceptions and 23 pass breakups for 32 total passes defended. Ole Miss picked off two passes apiece in all three games against Arkansas (LB Ashanti Cistrunk, S John Saunders Jr.), Auburn (Saunders Jr., CB Zamari Walton), and Vanderbilt (both by S Trey Washington), marking the first time since 2014 that Ole Miss came down with multiple picks in three consecutive games. Furthermore, Washington’s two INTs against the Commodores on Oct. 28 made him the first Rebel with two in the same game since A.J. Finley against Liberty in 2021 and currently makes him one of just seven defensive backs in the SEC to do so this season.
DEFENSIVE NOTES
The Rebel defensive unit has been crucial to Ole Miss’ success with timely big plays and big stops. • CB Deantre Prince is Ole Miss’ active career leader in interceptions with six. • S John Saunders Jr. (79.0) and Prince (77.9) are Ole Miss’ top-two rated defenders per PFF. • Ole Miss is tied for the SEC lead, ranks 22nd nationally at 12 total interceptions. • Four Rebels have multiple INTs: Saunders (3), S Trey Washington (3), S Daijahn Anthony (2) and CB Zamari Walton (2). • 10 Rebels have multiple pass breakups, led by seven from Anthony. • 11 different Rebels have had their hand in Ole Miss’ nine forced fumbles either on the force or recovery … 17 Rebels have defended a pass, and 18 have recorded at least one QB hurry. • Ole Miss has returned its 12 interceptions this season for 145 yards. • LB Khari Coleman ranks second in the SEC and 19th in the FBS in active career tackles for loss (31.0) • S Teja Young ranks fourth among FBS active career leaders with 222 career interception return yards, and he leads with four interception return touchdowns … The FBS career record for INT return TDs is five (Jackie Walker, Tennessee, 1969-71). • LB Ashanti Cistrunk has a season career-high of 3.5 TFL … Cistrunk was named SEC Defensive Player of the Week following his nine-tackle performance against the Razorbacks that saw him intercept a pass and assist on a sack as well. • S Trey Washington leads Ole Miss in tackles, averaging 6.3 per game (20th SEC) … Washington has won SEC Defensive Player of the Week twice this season after big games vs. Georgia Tech and Vanderbilt. • Ole Miss active career sacks leader DE Cedric Johnson recorded career sack No. 19.0 against ULM (No. 5 OM history). • DE Jared Ivey is tied with Johnson for the Ole Miss lead with 5.5 sacks … Ivey also owns the lone defensive TD of the year for the Rebels, a key 26-yard fumble return at No. 22 Tulane. • DE Isaac Ukwu has 3.5 sacks for a loss of 20 yards … Combined with his career totals at FCS James Madison, he has 20.0.
NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS
• Ole Miss is 64-17 (.790) versus non-conference opponents dating back to a 38-0 win over Tulane on Nov. 12, 1994. • Under head coach Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss is 13-2 against non-conference opponents.
PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS NOTES:
INSIDE THE GAME
NO. 10 PENN STATE BATTLES NO. 11 OLE MISS IN CHICK-FIL-A PEACH BOWL
• OPENING KICK: No. 10 Penn State meets No. 11 Ole Miss in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on Saturday, December 30. Kickoff is set for noon on ESPN at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
• PEACH BOWL HISTORY: Penn State is set to play in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl for the first time in school history. The Peach Bowl is Penn State’s 16th different bowl game in 53 overall bowl appearances. The Peach Bowl is the ninth-oldest bowl game and is set for its 56th annual game on December 30.
• SERIES HISTORY: The Nittany Lions face Ole Miss for the first time in school history. Ole Miss is Penn State’s 33rd different bowl opponent. • FASHANU EARNS CONSENSUS ALL-AMERICA HONORS: Junior offensive tackle Olumuyiwa Fashanu was named a first-team All-American by the Associated Press, AFCA, Sporting News and the Walter Camp Football Foundation, while earning second-team honors from the FWAA. By collecting first-team honors from at least three of the five NCAA-recognized outlets, Fashanu clinched consensus All-American status. He is Penn State’s 41st player (44th selection) to reach consensus All-American status and the first PSU offensive lineman since Jeff Hartings in 1995. He is Penn State’s 102nd First-Team All-American and one of 16 in the James Franklin era.
• DEFENSE AMONG NATION’S BEST: The Nittany Lions finished the regular season leading the country in total defense (223.2), first downs allowed (151), yards per play (3.91), sacks per game (4.0) and total sacks (48). The 48 sacks are a school record. Penn State also ranks second in the nation in rushing defense (69.7) and tackles for loss per game (8.4) and third in pass defense (153.6), scoring defense (11.4), total tackles for loss (101) and fumbles recovered (12). Abdul Carter, Adisa Isaac and Chop Robinson earned first-team honors to lead 13 All-Big Ten selections.
• THE OPPOSITION: Ole Miss finished the regular season with a 10-2 overall record and a 6-2 mark in SEC play. The Rebels concluded November with a 17-7 win over Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl. Ole Miss rushed for 211 yards, including 119 yards and a touchdown by Quinshon Judkins. In the fourth quarter, Jaxson Dart connected on a 26-yard touchdown pass with Caden Prieskorn. Daijahn Anthony led the defense with 15 tackles (6 solo), while Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste added 10 stops.
SERIES NOTES
HEAD COACH LANE KIFFIN • Lane Kiffin is in his fourth season at Ole Miss. • He owns a 33-15 record at Ole Miss and a 94-49 career record. • Kiffin has led the Rebels to bowl games in each of his first four seasons. • Under Kiffin, Ole Miss played in the 2021 Outback Bowl (W, 26-20, vs. Indiana), 2022 Sugar Bowl (L, 7-21, vs. Baylor) and the 2022 Texas Bowl (L, 25-42, vs. Texas Tech). • Before arriving in Oxford, Kiffin served three seasons as head coach at Florida Atlantic, leading the Owls to 10 wins in 2019 and 11 wins in 2017. • Prior to Florida Atlantic, Kiffin as the offensive coordinator/ quarterbacks coach at Alabama from 2014-16. • Kiffin also served as head coach at USC (2010-13), Tennessee (2009) and with the Oakland Raiders (2007-08).
SCOUTING THE REBELS
• Ole Miss is 10-2 overall and 6-2 in the SEC this season. • The Rebels earned SEC wins this season against LSU (55-49), Arkansas (27-20), Auburn (28-21), Vanderbilt (33-7), Texas A&M (38-35) and Mississippi State (17-7). • Against Mississippi State, the Rebels tallied 307 total yards and 211 rushing yards. • RB Quinshon Judkins rushed for 119 yards and a touchdown. • Ole Miss ranks 19th in the country in scoring offense (34.8), 15th in total offense (455.4), 26th in passing offense (276.6) and 40th in rushing offense (178.8). • The Rebels are also 12th in yards per completion (14.43) and 25th in completion percentage (65.2). • Judkins is ninth in the country with 15 rushing touchdowns and 33rd with 1,052 rushing yards. • On defense, Ole Miss sits 34th in the country in scoring defense (21.8), 57th in total defense (371.9), 60th in passing defense (220.0) and 67th in rushing defense (151.9). • S Trey Washington paces Ole Miss with 75 tackles, while DE Jared Ivey leads the team with 9.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks. • PR Jordan Watkins has one punt return touchdown this season.
NITTANY LIONS VS. SEC
• Penn State is 25-24 all-time against current members of the SEC, most recently playing at Auburn, a 41-12 win, in 2022. • Twenty-one of the 49 matchups against current SEC teams have come in bowl games, most recently the 2022 Outback Bowl vs. Arkansas. • Penn State is 12-16 in regular season matchups. • The Nittany Lions have also played former SEC members Sewanee (1-0) and Georgia Tech (1-1). • Ten games against current SEC members occurred before they officially entered the SEC, including South Carolina (2-0), Texas A&M (3-1) and Missouri (3-1).
OLE MISS BOWL HISTORY
• Ole Miss has appeared in 39 bowl games with a 24-15 record. • The Rebels are making their 19th appearance in one of the New Year’s Six bowls. • In the CFP era, Ole Miss has appeared in the Peach Bowl once and the Sugar Bowl twice. • The Rebels are playing in their third Peach Bowl, earning a 41-18 win against Georgia Tech in 1971 and falling 42-3 against TCU in 2014. • Ole Miss fell 42-25 against Texas Tech in the 2022 Texas Bowl. • The Rebels are 2-1 in bowl games against current members of the Big Ten.
LAST BOWL VS. SEC PENN STATE FALLS 24-10 AGAINST ARKANSAS IN OUTBACK BOWL
The Penn State football team fell 24-10 against No. 22/24/21 Arkansas on Saturday in the Outback Bowl in Raymond James Stadium. The Nittany Lions went into halftime with a 10-7 lead, but a strong rushing attack by Arkansas helped the Razorbacks to a victory. Sean Clifford completed 14-of-32 passes for 195 yards and a touchdown and added 47 rushing yards. Parker Washington hauled in seven catches for 98 yards, while KeAndre Lambert-Smith had three receptions for 74 yards, including a 42- yard touchdown in the second quarter. Ji’Ayir Brown led the Penn State defense with two interceptions, both in the first half, and six tackles. Curtis Jacobs recorded a career-high 10 tackles, including a sack, and Nick Tarburton had a career-best seven tackles with two for loss and a sack. Smith Vilbert set a Penn State bowl record, and tied the Outback Bowl record, with three sacks. Penn State found itself in the red zone on its first drive after Clifford found Washington deep for a 42-yard gain. Arkansas would force Penn State into a missed field goal attempt. The Penn State defense forced a takeaway on the ensuing drive when Ji’Ayir Brown intercepted a pass by KJ Jefferson in the end zone. Arkansas followed with a turnover of its own when Clifford was intercepted by Greg Brooks Jr. The Razorbacks got on the board in the closing seconds of the first quarter on a 3-yard touchdown run by Raheim Sanders. The Nittany Lions evened the score with 10:53 remaining in the second when Clifford found a wide open Lambert-Smith downfield for a 42-yard touchdown. Penn State took its first lead of the day later in the second on a 33-yard field goal by Jake Pinegar. After Penn State turned the ball over on downs on a failed fake punt attempt, Ji’Ayir Brown recorded his second interception of the game to close out the first half. Penn State led 10-7 at halftime. Arkansas re-took the lead on the opening drive of the second half on an 8-yard touchdown run by Jefferson. The Razorbacks extended their lead to seven midway through the third on a 36-yard field goal by Cam Little. The Razorbacks pushed the lead to 24-10 with 2:08 to go in the third on a 1-yard touchdown by Sanders. Arkansas got a key turnover in the opening minutes of the fourth on an interception by Joe Foucha in the end zone.
PENN STATE EARNS 53RD BOWL BERTH • Penn State is making its 53rd bowl appearance, tied-ninth all-time. • Head Coach James Franklin has guided his teams to a bowl appearance 12 times (3 at Vanderbilt; 9 at Penn State). • Penn State’s 31 bowl victories are tied-fourth nationally and lead all Big Ten schools. • The Nittany Lions’ 61.5 winning percentage in bowl games (31- 19-2 record) is No. 7 nationally among teams with at least 20 bowl appearances. • Penn State is playing in its 16th different bowl game and has now played in each of the New Year’s Six bowls. • Penn State made its first postseason appearance in 1923 when it traveled across the country to face USC in the Rose Bowl Game to cap off the 1922 season.
ABOUT THE PEACH BOWL
• Penn State will make its first ever appearance in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. • The Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl will be Penn State’s 16th different bowl game in 53 appearances. • Ole Miss is Penn State’s 33rd different bowl opponent. • The Peach Bowl is the ninth-oldest bowl game and is set for its 56th game on December 30. • The first Peach Bowl was played at Georgia Tech’s Grant Field in 1968 between Florida State and LSU. • Three Peach Bowls were played at Grant Field until the game was moved to Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium from 1971-1992. • From 1993-2016, the Peach Bowl was played at the Georgia Dome until moving into its current venue, Mercedes-Benz Stadium. • Chick-fil-A became the bowl’s first and only title sponsor in 1996. • From 2006-13, the game was called the Chick-fil-A Bowl until adding Peach back into the name in 2014. • In 2013, the Peach Bowl was selected to be among the New Year’s Six bowls with the Cotton, Fiesta, Orange, Rose and Sugar Bowls. • The Peach Bowl hosted CFP Semifinals in 2016, 2019 and 2022. • In 2009, the bowl partnered with the National Football Foundation to bring the College Football Hall of Fame to Atlanta.
PENN STATE IN DECEMBER BOWL GAMES
• Penn State will be playing the program’s 20th December bowl game and owns a 13-5-1 record in the month. • This is Penn State’s fourth time playing on December 30 with a 2-0-1 record. • In December 30 bowl games, Penn State won the 1961 Gator Bowl (30-15 vs. Georgia Tech), tied the 1967 Gator Bowl (17- 17 vs. Florida State) and won the 2017 Fiesta Bowl (35-28 vs. Washington).
BIG TEN IN PEACH BOWL
• Penn State is making the Big Ten’s 11th appearance in the Peach Bowl. • The Big Ten is 3-7 in previous appearances with wins by Purdue (1978), Iowa (1982) and Michigan State (2021). • Indiana, Iowa and Purdue have each made two appearances, while Illinois, Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State each have one.
