Penn State and Ole Miss are set to square off in what promises to be an exciting Peach Bowl.

James Franklin and the No. 10 Nittany Lions are looking to win their fourth New Year’s Six bowl game, whereas Lane Kiffin and the No. 11 Rebels are hoping to secure their first 11-win season.

There will be plenty written about Penn State’s opponent in the days leading up to the Peach Bowl. But here’s what you need to know for now about Ole Miss.

Dart is the best QB Penn State has faced all year

When Lincoln Riley took over at USC and brought Caleb Williams with him, transfer Jaxson Dart found a home at Ole Miss. And he’s thrived, both on the ground and through the air.

Last season, Dart was one of two SEC quarterbacks, along with LSU’s Jayden Daniels, to throw for more than 2,900 yards and rush for more than 600 yards. He kept that going this year.

Dart is one of nine FBS quarterbacks to throw for 2,900 yards, pass for at least 20 touchdowns and rush for at least seven touchdowns. That list includes Daniels, Williams, Oklahoma’s Dillon Gabriel, Missouri’s Brady Cook, North Carolina’s Drake Maye, Washington State’s Cameron Ward, James Madison’s Jordan McCloud and South Florida’s Byrum Brown.

Of those other eight, only Daniels has fewer than Dart’s five interceptions, and only four — Daniels, Gabriel, Williams and McCloud — have a better passer rating than Dart’s 161.9.

This will be a big-play battle

Peach Bowl CEO Gary Stokan’s opening statement of Sunday’s Peach Bowl press conference billed this game as a matchup between one of the best defenses and one of the most explosive offenses in college football. And he’s right, especially in one particular area.

Penn State — which boasts the top total defense and the No. 3 passing, rushing and scoring defense in the FBS — also has allowed the fewest plays of 10-plus yards (99) and the fifth-fewest plays of 20-plus yards (31). That runs in direct opposition to what Ole Miss likes to do.

The Rebels have racked up 77 plays of 20-plus yards, tied with Georgia for the eighth-most in the FBS. The only SEC team with more is LSU’s FBS-leading 102 such plays.

Judkins is one of the most dangerous RBs in the FBS

A major part of Ole Miss’ big-play equation is Quinshon Judkins, the type of running back who gets his yardage despite defensive coordinators spending plenty of time preparing for him.

Judkins was a first-team All-SEC pick and a freshman All-American last year. He surpassed the century mark rushing in eight of Ole Miss’ 13 games, including 200-yard performances against Texas A&M and Arkansas. He racked up 19 rushes of 20-plus yards, third-most in the FBS.

Judkins’ production has dipped a bit, going from 1,565 rushing yards in 2022 — the seventh-most in the country — to 1,052 yards this year. But the sophomore has 15 rushing touchdowns, the most in the SEC.

Franklin said he has “a ton of respect” for Judkins, a three-star recruit in the 2021 cycle who had an offer from Penn State as well as Miami, Michigan and a host of Power Five schools.

Defense has been optional against big boys

The delta in big plays allowed against top competition and against the dregs of the SEC was stark for Ole Miss’ defense. The Rebels allowed 51 plays of 20-plus yards this year, ranking 55th in the FBS. Not great, not terrible. But more than half of those plays came in three games.

Ole Miss gave up 27 total plays of 20-plus yards in losses to Georgia and Alabama and a shootout win over LSU. Ole Miss allowed a play of 20-plus yards every 7.5 snaps in those three games.

Comparatively, Ole Miss allowed only 14 plays of 20-plus yards — one every 23.8 snaps — in wins over Arkansas, Auburn, Vanderbilt, Texas A&M and Mississippi State.

In short, the Rebels defense held up against inferior competition and didn’t against the top teams in the conference. Penn State’s offense is no LSU, that’s for sure. But the Nittany Lions, who have struggled for big plays, should be encouraged by that discrepancy.

Expect Ole Miss to be at full strength

On Tuesday, Penn State edge rusher and projected first-round pick Chop Robinson opted out of the Peach Bowl to prepare for the NFL Draft. Left tackle Olu Fashanu, defensive end Adisa Isaac and cornerback Kalen King, to name a few, could follow suit in the coming days.

But Kiffin doesn’t foresee any Rebels sitting out.

“I would expect that we don’t have any,” Kiffin said Sunday. “We’re kind of not in one of those years where we really have some first-rounders that are coming out and are concerned about injuries and so forth. So I would not anticipate that happening with us.”

There’s also something to be said about what this game means to Ole Miss. The Rebels never have won 11 games in a season in their 129-year history. After coming close with 10 regular-season wins and a Sugar Bowl loss in 2021, they’re hoping to make history.

That’s not to say the Peach Bowl matters less to Penn State. But the Nittany Lions will be getting Ole Miss’ best shot Dec. 30 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)