Ole Miss has arrived in Atlanta with intentions of proving the Rebels are back to being national contenders in football.
The Rebels square off against Penn State in Saturday’s Peach Bowl in Atlanta. Kickoff is set for 10 a.m.
Ole Miss is making its fourth straight bowl appearance under head coach Lane Kiffin who has made the Rebels winners.
At 10-2, the 2023 Rebels are looking to become the first 11-win team in the 129-season history of Ole Miss football.
Ole Miss now ranks third in the SEC, eighth nationally with four NY6 appearances, two coming under Kiffin.
This will be Ole Miss' third ever appearance in the Peach Bowl, its first since 2014.
This marks the first ever meeting between Ole Miss and Penn State.
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.
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.
Sophomore running backs 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.
Penn State features the country's top defense, allowing just 223.2 yards per game.
The Lions also rank No. 1 in the FBS with 48 team sacks, only allowing 11.4 points per game.
Penn 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 REBEL SCOUTING REPORT
Ole Miss running back 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.
Quarterback Jaxson Dart is 11 rushing yards shy of becoming the third QB ever at Ole Miss in the 5K/1K club.
And Dart has had plenty of targets in the passing game, but none more frequently than wideouts Jordan Watkins (53 rec., 741 yards, 3 TD), Dayton Wade (52 rec., 769 yards, 4 TD) and Tre Harris (47 rec., 851 yards, 8 TD).
The Rebels are the lone team in the SEC and one of just three in the FBS alongside Colorado State and Washington State with three 700-yard receivers. Of Ole Miss' 5,465 total yards, 3,870 (70.8%) have come from transfers.
