OXFORD — While it was more ceremonial than anything, Tuesday signified what everybody at Ole Miss already knew.
It’s officially bowl season in Oxford.
No. 11 Ole Miss (10-2, 6-2 SEC) officially accepted its Peach Bowl invite from CEO and president Gary Stokan, a little over a week following the announcement of the Dec. 30 matchup with No. 10 Penn State (10-2, 7-2). It will mark the first ever game between the two schools and just the third Peach Bowl appearance in program history for the Rebels. Ole Miss is in its second New Year’s Six game in three years and has a chance at winning 11 games for the first time ever.
Ole Miss athletics director Keith Carter received the invite in-person from Stokan in front of media Tuesday afternoon. The two shook hands and took turns at the podium — as did head coach Lane Kiffin — talking about the matchup. Stokan admits he had no idea who was going to be playing in the Peach Bowl until the teams were announced during ESPN’s special Sunday broadcast, as the CFP committee decides who plays in each of the New Year’s Six games. But Stokan lauded the matchup and was particularly praiseworthy of Kiffin, his offensive acumen and the program he’s built.
Both the Rebels and Nittany Lions’ only losses this season were to teams that finished in the final CFP rankings’ top-seven.
“I said on press conference day, ‘Styles make great fights,’” Stokan said. “We have a tremendous offense against a tremendous defense.”
Penn State features one of college football’s top defenses, leading college football at 223.2 yards per game allowed and ranking third with 11.4 points per game allowed. The Nittany Lions also average 37.2 points per game behind the Big Ten’s top rushing attack.
Ole Miss has one of the most diverse and complete offenses in college football, ranking in the top-40 nationally in both rushing and passing yards per game. The Rebels are one of just three teams in the FBS with three 700-plus yard receivers. Junior quarterback Jaxson Dart ranks 12th in the nation in passing efficiency, and sophomore running back Quinshon Judkins has run for 1,000 yards for the second time in as many years on campus.
“This will be a tremendous matchup for us against a great coach, great team with a lot of really good players,” Kiffin said. “ … (Penn State has) been doing this for a while, and they’re at a level where we want to get to. So, this will be a great opportunity for us.”
Kiffin has led Ole Miss to bowl games in each of his four seasons at the helm, including two New Year’s Six games. There’s a balance to be found, Kiffin said, between all of the extracurriculars a major bowl game entails — media obligations and activities during the week of the bowl itself, etc. — and preparing for a premier postseason game. He also knows the Peach Bowl is the prize for a season where the Rebels have already accomplished so much.
“I think that the challenge is always to balance the kids enjoying it because it’s a reward … for your year,” Kiffin said. “But also then understanding there’s a lot of work to do, too, and find that balance, especially later in the week as you get closer to the game.”
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