Ole Miss to face Penn State in SEC-Big Ten Peach Bowl matchup of 10-2 teams
No. 11 Mississippi will play No. 10 Penn State in the Dec. 30 Peach Bowl, giving the Rebels their second New Year's Six bowl in the last three seasons.
The Peach Bowl matchup between the Southeastern Conference and Big Ten will be the first meeting between the teams.
Ole Miss (10-2) will be making its third appearance in the Peach Bowl. The Rebels are 1-1 in the game, including a 42-3 loss to TCU following the 2014 season.
Penn State (10-2) will be making its first appearance in the Peach Bowl. The Nittany Lions closed their season by beating Michigan State 42-0 on Nov. 24.
Ole Miss closed its regular season with a 17-7 win over Mississippi State on Nov. 23. The Rebels lost to Baylor 21-7 in the 2021 Sugar Bowl in their previous New Year's Six bowl under coach Lane Kiffin.
The Peach Bowl has been part of the New Year's Six since 2014 and hosted playoff semifinals in 2016, 2019 and 2022. Georgia beat Ohio State 42-41 in last season's Peach Bowl playoff semifinal on its way to its second consecutive national championship.
TOP PLAYERS
Mississippi: RB Quinshon Judkins, 1,052 rushing yards, 15 touchdowns; QB Jaxson Dart, 2,985 passing yards, 20 touchdowns, 377 rushing yards, seven touchdowns.
Penn State: QB Drew Allar, 2,836 passing yards, 23 touchdowns; RB Kaytron Allen, 851 rushing yards, six touchdowns.
NOTABLE
Mississippi: The Rebels closed the season with two straight wins, including a 17-7 win over Mississippi State. ... The Rebels will be playing in their second New Year's Six bowl in the last three seasons, following a 21-7 loss to Baylor in the 2021 Sugar Bowl. ... Dart finished fourth in the SEC in passing while Jukins was fifth in rushing. ... The Rebels are 1-1 in previous Peach Bowl appearances.
Penn State: The Nittany Lions will be playing in their first Peach Bowl. ... The Nittany Lions closed their season by beating Michigan State 42-0 on Nov. 24. Running backs coach Ja'Juan Seider and tight ends coach Ty Howle served as interim offensive coordinators in the game. ... Allar threw for 292 yards and two touchdowns and Allen ran for a career-high 137 yards in the game.
LAST TIME
This will be the first meeting between the teams.
BOWL HISTORY
Mississippi: The Rebels will play their third Peach Bowl in their third venue. They beat Georgia Tech 41-18 in the 1971 Peach Bowl, the first time the game was played at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. Ole Miss lost to TCU 42-3 at the Georgia Dome following the 2014 season. Ole Miss holds a 20-15 record in 40 bowl games, including a 42-25 loss to Texas Tech in last year's Texas Bowl.
Penn State: The Nittany Lions are 31-19-2 in bowl games, including a 35-21 win over Utah in the Rose Bowl following last season. Penn State also has played in another Rose, a Cotton, Fiesta, Citrus and Outback under coach James Franklin.
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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
