Notes: Rebels hopeful Peach Bowl serves as springboard into '24 title chase
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ATLANTA — No, neither Ole Miss nor Penn State can win a national title in Saturday’s Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl (11 a.m. CST, ESPN) but both teams said Thursday the game is important for a myriad of reasons.
For Ole Miss (10-2), it’s a chance to win 11 games in a single season for the first time in program history. For both the Rebels and Penn State, Saturday’s game represents a chance to springboard into 2024, the first season of the expanded, 12-team College Football Playoff, with real, tangible momentum.
“It will be a lot of momentum going into next year if we go out there and get a W,” Ole Miss wide receiver Tre Harris said Thursday morning during a press conference at the Westin Peachtree Plaza in downtown Altanta, just minutes away from Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the site of Saturday’s contest. “We’re playing against a Blue Blood type of program, so it would be good to go out there and get a win against them. On top of that, we'd be doing something that's never been done in Ole Miss history and getting that 11th win. Having those two milestones ahead of us going into next year would be huge and bring a lot of momentum, especially for next year.”
“I think it's been just on the back of our minds the whole time just because it's something that will go in the history books forever,” Ole Miss wide receiver Jordan Watkins added. “It will never be forgotten, getting that 11th win, something that will never be done and has never been done in program history. It's been a great motivating factor for us, and I think it will take a lot of momentum going into next season.”
‘Surreal’ feeling for Harris, Prieskorn: A year ago, Harris was leaving Louisiana Tech for the transfer portal. Tight end Caden Prieskorn was doing the same, albeit from Memphis. A year later, both players are in Ole Miss uniforms, 48 hours away from a New Year’s Six bowl game.
“It's surreal,” Harris said Thursday. “Exactly what you said, we grew up watching games like this, and to finally be a part of it, it's a huge honor to be part of a game like this. It's a dream come true. We all want to go out there and play in the big games, and to be able to do that is huge for me, especially for me and my career and everyone else on this team.”
“Probably the biggest game of my career,” Prieskorn said. “New Year's Six bowl on one of the biggest stages of college football. Just how I came up as a walk-on and all that, just to play in one of these games is surreal.”
Mutual respect between Rebels and Nittany Lions: The hyped matchup Saturday is between Ole Miss’ high-powered offense and Penn State’s vaunted defense. The coaches for both teams expressed extreme respect for the other’s groups on Thursday.
“I think they're just an extremely well coached, disciplined football team,” Ole Miss offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. said. “They play very assignment sound, very minimal bust, very minimal mental errors. They've got great players at all three levels of the defense. They've got a great D-line, linebackers, secondary players.
“Top to bottom, they're probably the most complete defense I've seen. It's extremely impressive in having those players and getting them to play assignment sound, I think just very well-structured overall defense.”
Penn State defensive coordinator Anthony Poindexter said the first challenge facing Ole Miss is preparing for a tempo the Nittany Lions haven’t seen in the Big Ten.
“You see it sometimes, but we haven't really seen it on a consistent basis like throughout the game like they do,” Poindexter said. “I think the depth at receiver, the production at the receiver spot that they have and the players that they have. They have three guys on the field that's all over 700 yards. I don't know if we have played a team with that kind of production, maybe Ohio State.
“And they've got a really good running back corps. Obviously we've seen good running backs. But I think (Ole Miss) Coach (Lane) Kiffin does a great job. He has his guys ready to play with the tempo and with their scheme. They can give you some challenges.
“Like I said, we're just going to go in and play our style of defense. Obviously we have said the word tempo, but we know we play a certain brand of football, and we've been playing it all year. We're just going to do what we've been doing, you know, fast, slow. We've just got to be prepared for it. Our kids know they've got to get their cleats set and get their cleats in the ground and execute. It's been about execution for us all year -- execution, having fun, enjoying it, playing with each other. That's what we've done for 12 weeks, and we want to do it for one more week.”
Isaac declares for NFL Draft: Penn State defensive end Adisa Isaac announced Wednesday night that he will forego his final season of college football and declare for the NFL Draft, though he will play in the Peach Bowl versus Ole Miss.
The 6-4, 249-pound Isaac led the Lions in tackles for loss (15) and sacks (7.5) in the regular season, adding four quarterback hurries, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
Isaac had two tackles for loss, one of them a sack, in PSU’s 20-12 loss at Ohio State and he produced three tackles for loss in the Lions’ 24-15 loss to Michigan at Beaver Stadium.
“Kind of just thoughts throughout this bowl prep with family and some coaches,” Isaac said Thursday. “Just getting last little thoughts out there of what I should do.
“I thought it was best that I should go to the NFL, but after I play this last game with my teammates. I felt like that was important to me and important to this team. So that's something I decided to do. I just felt like this was the right time. I felt like I've put in enough work throughout these past two years coming off of injury to put myself in a good position to make this kind of decision."
Rebels win Battle for Bowl Week competition: Ole Miss defeated Penn State 3-1 to clinch this year's Battle for Bowl Week competition, along with the coveted Battle for Bowl Week Championship Belt. The Rebels were named Battle for Bowl Week Champions after winning this year's Five Yard Frenzy, Andretti Indoor Karting and Drop it Like It's Hot competitions.
Before the teams take the field on Dec. 30, players from Ole Miss and Penn State tested their skills off the gridiron, going head-to-head in a series of contests, with the winner of the majority of the competitions taking home the coveted Battle for Bowl Week Championship Belt.
Bragging rights aren't the only thing at stake. The winner of the Battle for Bowl Week has gone on to win the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl in seven of the last 12 games.
This year's Battle for Bowl Week competitions included:
Dec. 25:
Competition No. 1
Five-Yard Frenzy
Each team had a total of five participants who competed in a putting competition from various distances along the course. Golfers each received “four downs” to try and get as many points as possible, as they took shots from four designated lines that varied in point totals based on the distance from the hole. Point totals ranged from the furthest line representing a touchdown (seven points), followed by a field goal (three points), safety (two points) and then an extra point (one point). At the end of the five rounds the scores of all golfers were totaled to determine the final score, with the winner being determined by the school that had the highest point total throughout the game.
Winner: Ole Miss, 28-16
Dec. 26:
Competition No. 2
Andretti Indoor Karting
Each team participated in kart racing at Andretti Indoor Karting. Team members were given the opportunity to test their driving skills as part of the competition for this event. The average lap time for each team was totaled and the team with the quickest average time was declared the winner.
Winner: Ole Miss, with the faster average time of 47.25 to 47.29
Dec. 27:
Competition No. 3
Football Feud
Four offensive players, four defensive players and two assistant coaches from both teams squared off in a football version of the popular game show "Family Feud." Each team attempted to name the top answers to various questions asked. Football Feud was a two-round game where the team with the highest score at the end of the two rounds was declared the winner.
Winner: Penn State, 300-100
Competition No. 4
Drop It Like It’s Hot
Four members of each team participated in this competition. Teams were shown multiple choice questions and had 15 seconds to discuss. They were then allotted a fixed amount of points they could wager on each answer. One-by-one incorrect answers dropped off the screen along with any points they wagered on that answer. The team with the most points at end of the game won.
Winner: Ole Miss, 2,000-1,300
