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Red and Blue Smoke: Greg Jones loves first-time matchup for Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl

GGtKuYqW4AAo-ITby:Zach Berry•12/07/23•

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Red and Blue Smoke, presented by LB's Meat Market
Red and Blue Smoke, presented by LB's Meat Market (Photo credit: Shawn Palmer-On3)

No. 11 Ole Miss (10-2) will take on No. 10 Penn State (10-2) December 30 in the 2023 Peach Bowl. It will be played at 12 ET at Mercedes-Benz in Atlanta, Ga., Saturday on ESPN. We here at OMSpirit have already looked into the matchup. So let’s take a look at the early rumblings and thoughts from our very own Jake Thompson and Chuck Rounsaville.

This will be the first time the Rebels and Nittany Lions have met on the football field.

When it comes to NY6 bowl appearances this is the fourth bid for the Rebels, dating back to 2014. New Year’s Six bowl games began in 2014 with the creation of the College Football Playoffs.

Lane Kiffin leads the Rebels back to a second NY6 bowl game in his four years in Oxford. Ole Miss played in the 2021 Sugar Bowl in Kiffin’s second year after the first 10-win regular season in program history. The Rebels have reached a bowl game in each of Kiffin’s first four years in Oxford.

Penn State defensive end Chop Robinson
Penn State defensive end Chop Robinson. (Credit: Frank Hyatt | Blue White Illustrated)

Both teams lost to their conference’s powerhouse teams – Penn State to Ohio State and Michigan and Ole Miss to Georgia and Alabama.

The only difference is Ole Miss played on the road and Penn State lost to Ohio State at home and Michigan on the road.

Statistically, this looks like it could be a quality skirmish.

The Rebels’ most significant wins were against 13th ranked LSU and 23rd ranked Tulane. PSU’s most impressive victory was 31-0 over No. 20 ranked Iowa.

Both teams average mid-30s in scoring offense – Penn State at 37.1 points per game, Ole Miss at 34.8. In scoring defense, Penn State is stingier than the Rebels, allowing only 11.4 points while the Rebels have given up 21.8 points.

This podcast is brought to you by College Corner – Oxford. Be sure to check out the folks on Sisk Avenue for all your Ole Miss swag needs.

On this week’s episode of “Red and Blue Smoke”, Greg Jones of LB’s Meat Market talks Peach Bowl, tenderloin, holiday gifts and more!

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