It's Penn State-Ole Miss week: Time, TV, early storylines, more
By Greg Pickel
Welcome to Peach Bowl week, Penn State fans! The No. 10 Nittany Lions are set to close out the 2023 season with a battle opposite No. 11 Ole Miss in Atlanta, Ga. Bowl officials announced last week that tickets are sold out for the game, which is hosted by Mercedes-Benz Stadium. It, of course, is home to the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons and the SEC title game, among other things.
“Fans are excited to see the Rebels and Nittany Lions face off for the first time in what is shaping up to be one of the best matchups this Bowl Season between a top-20 offense at Ole Miss vs. the nation’s top defense with Penn State,” Gary Stokan, the Peach Bowl, Inc. CEO and president, said in a news release. “We’re looking forward to once again having a full house and an electric atmosphere on Dec. 30 here in the Capital of College Football.”
Get ready for kickoff with our early game preview below.
How to watch Penn State-Ole Miss
Kickoff is at Noon ET. ESPN will televise the game. Want to steam it? Live stream on Fubo! with this link (Try for free)! Fubo’s holiday offer just kicked off – For a limited time, new subscribers can save $20 on Fubo’s Pro, Elite, and Premier plans.
Mark Jones (play-by-play), Louis Riddick (color commentary) and Quint Kessenich (sideline reporter) will be on the call.
What is the point spread?
Penn State is picked to win. At FanDuel, the Lions are a 3.5-point favorite. The over/under betting points total is 48.5.
Lions’ game week schedule
Penn State arrived in Atlanta on Saturday. James Franklin and Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin both spoke to reporters via ZOOM on Tuesday, and a brief practice viewing window was open to the media. Wednesday features another one of those, in addition to interviews with co-offensive coordinators Ty Howle and Ja’Juan Seider plus players on their side of the ball. On Thursday, there will be no practice viewing window. But, co-defensive coordinator Anthony Poindexter will speak, as will players on the defense.
The pregame media festivities end with a head coach’s news conference Friday morning.
What’s up with Ole Miss
Ole Miss finished the regular season 10-2. Like Penn State, it beat who it was supposed to but lost to the two toughest teams on its schedule. Like the Lions, Kiffin’s team has one significant opt-out. Unlike them, it has no injury concerns or coaching staff changes that are public information. Things can always change once teams get to the bowl site. But for now, the Rebels appear to be at mostly full strength. Career sack leader Cedric Johnson is opting out of the game. So, both teams will be without a strong defensive end.
Quarterback Jaxson Dart leads the SEC team’s uptempo offense. He has completed 65 percent of his passes this season for 2,985 yards, 20 touchdowns, and has only thrown five interceptions. He also has seven scores on the ground. Running back Quinshon Judkins powers the team’s rushing attack. He has 1,052 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns to date. Three receivers have more than 40 catches. Jordan Watkins owns a team-high 53 for 741 yards and three scores. Dayton Wade is next on the list with 52 catches for 769 yards plus four touchdowns. And, Tre Harris has 47 for a team-high 851 yards and eight touchdowns. The team had no All-SEC picks along the offensive line. But, Caden Prieskorn was a second-team all-conference pick.
On defense, Ole Miss was tied for first in the SEC with 12 interceptions. Safety Trey Washington had a team-high 78 tackles. And, defensive ens Jared Ivey has 5.5 sacks.
Weather report
Conditions will be perfect since Mercedes-Benz Stadium is indoors, of course. However, for those traveling, no rain is expected and temps will be in the mid-50s with partially sunny skies. It should be a beautiful week in and around Atlanta.
Early Penn State-Ole Miss storylines
–Can the Lions’ top-ranked defense control the Ole Miss offense without star defensive end Chop Robinson and defensive coordinator Manny Diaz?
–Which time of possession style will win out? Penn State finished the regular season at No. 10 in that metric after holding the ball for an average of 33:02.42 per game. Ole Miss was No. 124 out of 133 teams at 27:14 minutes per game.
–How will the turnover battle shake out? Both teams were top five nationally in turnovers lost during the regular season. Penn State gained more (24-17) however. In what could be a field goal game, the winner of this stat will likely win the game.
