Penn State has a long bowl history, and there are few bowls the Nittany Lions have never played in or faced opponents against.
This year’s Peach Bowl is an exception.
The 10th-ranked Lions (10-2) will visit the Peach for the first time to take on 11th-ranked University of Mississippi (10-2). The schools have never met each other.
The game is scheduled for Saturday, December 30th at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Kickoff will be at noon and will be televised by ESPN.
“It’s pretty cool that Penn State has never played in the Peach Bowl,” James Franklin said in a press conference Sunday night.
Franklin said he was a little surprised to hear that, “especially for a program like Penn State.”
Mississippi State coach Lane Kiffin called the Big Ten vs. SEC matchup “an unbelievable matchup.”
Both teams have only lost to top-10 teams, with PSU losing to No. 1 Michigan and No. 7 Ohio State, and Ole Miss losing to No. 4 Alabama (24-10) and No. 6 Georgia. (52-17).
In this game, the focus will be on Penn State’s defense, one of the top in the nation, against the Rebels’ various attacks.
State led the nation in total defense (223.2 yards per game), which was the lowest total defense of any team since 2011.
Ole Miss ranks in the top 20 nationally in scoring offense (34.8 points per game) and total offense (455.4 yards per game). Quarterback Jackson Dart completed 65 percent of his throws for 2,985 yards and 16 touchdowns and was named a semifinalist for the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award.
Quinshon Judkins led the ground game with 1,052 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns. Over his two seasons, he had 2,619 yards and 31 TDs.
“I have a lot of respect for Ole Miss and Lane from my time in the SEC (three years at Vanderbilt),” Franklin said.
The game will be Penn State’s 52nd bowl game and ninth under coach Franklin, who is 4-4 in postseason games at PSU.
The Lions have a postseason record of 31-19-2 and are 25-24 against current members of the SEC.
With a win, Penn State will become the first program in college football history to win every bowl game that makes up the New Year’s Six.
Kiffin, 48, is in his fourth season at Ole Miss and has a record of 33-15. Kiffin previously coached at USC, Tennessee and Florida Atlantic, compiling a 94-47 overall record. He went 5-15 in parts of two NFL seasons (2007-2008) with the Oakland Raiders.
Seniors who plan to go to the NFL may opt out of bowl games, especially if they are projected as a top pick in the draft.
Franklin said no decisions have yet been made among Penn State players. Kiffin said he does not expect any opt-outs.
New offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, who arrived in State College on Saturday, will observe practice and participate in pre-bowl meetings, but will not have an active coaching role against Ole Miss, Franklin said. .
Franklin said co-coordinators Jajuan Sider and Ty Howle have shared play-calling duties in the past two games since head coach Mike Yurcich was fired on Nov. 12 and will continue to play in the bowl. He said he will play a similar role in games.
Kotelnicki will serve as offensive coordinator next year, but it has not yet been determined who will coach the quarterbacks, a role that also includes Yurcich.
Franklin and offensive analyst Danny O’Brien have coached the quarterback position since Nov. 12.
Fans interested in attending this year’s Peach Bowl can visit the Bowl’s ticket marketplace at https://chick-fil-apeachbowl.com/tickets.
Penn State season ticket holders can purchase by visiting gopsusports.com.