The Penn State Nittany Lions are set to face the Rebels of Ole Miss in the 55th annual Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
This electric matchup will be televised on ESPN from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta Georgia. Kickoff is set for 12:00pm est on Dec. 30.
Penn State finished the season ranked number ten in both the AP rankings, and the CFP rankings. Penn State suffered two losses on the season against the powerhouses of Ohio State and Michigan resulting in a final regular season record of 10-2.
Ole Miss finished at the number 11 spot for the AP and CFP polls with a record of 10-2 with losses coming against Georgia and Alabama.
Nittany Lions sophomore quarterback Drew Allar had a strong first season as a starter. Allar has thrown 214/350 on the season for 2,336 total yards. Allar has thrown just one interception.
Running back Keytron Allen ran for 851 yards with 162 carries. Allen tallied a total of six touchdowns and didn’t have any fumbles.
Wide Receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith has had 53 catches for 673 yards and just four touchdowns on the season.
On the defensive side of the ball, Penn State has lost two big pieces in Defensive Coordinator Manny Diaz and defensive end Chop Robinson.
Diaz has accepted an offer from Duke University to become their next head coach. Diaz has lifted the Penn State defense to completely new levels making them one of the biggest defensive power houses.
Robinson has declared for the 2024 NFL Draft and has chosen to opt out of the bowl game to stay injury free. Robison made 15 tackles with four sacks and one interception in the 2023 season.
Penn State still has threats on their defense in linebacker Kobe King, cornerback Daequan Hardy and linebacker Abdul Carter.
King has had 54 tackles on the season for one and a half sacks. Hardy has had two interceptions and one sack. Carter has had 46 tackles with four and a half sacks for one forced fumble.
When asked about who is going to win this game, sophomore Emily Miller says that “ Penn State is definitely going to win.”
Sophomore Haley Deets also added that “this game is going to be really good for Penn State.”
According to ESPN analytics, Penn State has a 72.1% chance to win this game.
