ATLANTA— Penn State will look to win 11 games for the second year in a row on Saturday and the fifth time under James Franklin as the Nittany Lions take on Ole Miss at noon on Saturday in the Peach Bowl.
While bowl games have lost some of their luster, Penn State still has a chance to make a bit of history with its first appearance — and first win — in the Peach Bowl. A win would also mean Penn State will have won all six of the New Years Six Bowls, and its fourth-straight New Years Six victory in as many appearances under James Franklin who would improve to 4-2 since Penn State’s Rose Bowl loss to USC in January 2017.
With plenty on the line Saturday, here are five storylines to follow.
Step Up: Between NFL- bound players getting limited snaps or opt-outs all together, bowl games have more and more turned into situations that allow players further down the depth chart to make an impact. This will likely be more noticeable on the defensive side of the ball at corner and along the defensive front on Saturday but both sides of the ball could see newer faces stepping up. Nothing helps send a team into an offseason better than a bowl win and a feeling like the departing players are already being replaced by guys waiting for their chance. Who will be the name everyone is talking about after the game on Saturday?
A Bit Sharper: Bill O’Brien once said that the best part about Penn State being bowl eligible again was the ability to practice throughout much of December. Those extra practices are gold for a coaching staff still looking to develop talent and continue to move the Nittany Lions’ offense forward. The introduction of two new coordinators is also a huge benefactor of this as well as both Tom Allen and Andy Kotelnicki look to familiarize themselves with Penn State’s roster. For the offense, it will be interesting to see if a few more weeks under interim offensive coordinators Ty Howle and Ja’Juan Seider will result in sharper play with the Nittany Lions have the ball. Penn State looked good the last two weeks of the season, then again neither of the Nittany Lions’ opponents were quite as good as Ole Miss.
Go Out With A Bang: Penn State’s defense might not have all of its pieces on Saturday but the Nittany Lions will still have many of the faces that have turned this group into one of the best defenses the program has ever fielded. Ole Miss will provide this group with a test on both the ground and through the air, can the Nittany Lions shut down one last offense this season? It’ll be a tough test, but Ole Miss hasn’t seen many teams with a defense as good as this one. That’s not to say the Rebels won’t have success moving the ball, but shutting down a well regarded offense would be a nice feather in the cap for this group.
Balancing Act: Ole Miss is thought of as more of a passing team under head coach Lane Kiffin but has been more balanced than people might realize. Running back Quinshon Judkins broke the 1,000 yard mark this season and is averaging 4.4 yards per carry for a rushing attack that is 39th-best in the nation in terms of yards per game. Interestingly enough that’s actually the second-best rushing attack that Penn State has faced this year behind West Virginia which is third in the nation in rushing yards per game. On the throwing side of things Jaxson Dart is only a few yards away from 3,000 on the year [Trivia time: a Penn State quarterback has broken that mark only five times in program history.] He gets thing going with a trio of receivers who all have hauled down at least 50 passes and over 700 yards this year. All told Ole Miss is going to hit Penn State with a balanced attack, can the Nittany Lions stop both?
Trey Wallace(?): Harrison [Trey] Wallace was back practicing with the team this week and while it remains to be seen if he’s good to go after suffering his second lengthy injury of the season, Wallace has always been the X Factor addition to this offense. If he’s good to go that’s a wrinkle Ole Miss won’t be all that familiar with. If nothing else, getting Wallace back on the field one last time could be a nice boost for Penn State offense that has been perpetually looking for consistency from its receivers. Wallace is an easy answer to someone to have a breakout season in 2024 if he can stay healthy. So far that has been easier said than done.
