At noon on Saturday no. 10 Penn State will battle no. 11 Ole Miss in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. Both teams will be in search of their 11th victory of the season, while the Nittany Lions will be looking to become the first program to win all six of the New Year's Six Bowls.
For the Nittany Lions to defeat the Rebels on Saturday, which players will they need to key on most? Let's take a look at five Ole Miss players that Penn State will need to keep in check on Saturday afternoon in Atlanta.
Running Back Quinshon Judkins
While the Ole Miss offense is largely known for its passing attack, a lot of what they want to do on offense starts with running back Quinshon Judkins. The 2022 SEC Freshman of the Year put together a strong sophomore campaign with 1,052 yards rushing and 15 touchdowns, he also had 135 receiving yards and a score.
Judkins is an explosive runner that can break a run on any carry. Stopping Judkins will be vital for the success of Penn State's defense. If they can prevent the Ole Miss running game from taking off, it'll make it easier to contain their explosive passing game.
Wide Receivers Tre Harris, Dayton Wade, Jordan Watkins
Since they're all wide receivers we'll lump these three together. The Rebel passing attack might be the best Penn State has faced this season. Jaxson Dart is likely the best quarterback the Nittany Lions have faced this season, and outside of the Ohio State trio, this is the best trio of receivers that will have tested this defense.
Kalen King playing in this game is huge for the Nittany Lions, especially with Johnny Dixon unlikely to play. Not only does it allow King to attempt to lock down one of the three, but it also allows Daequan Hardy to remain at nickel back instead of having to bounce outside. It is not unreasonable to think that whoever wins the battle between the Ole Miss wide receiver trio and the Nittany Lion secondary will go on to decide the outcome of the Peach Bowl.
EDGE Rusher Jared Ivey
The best pass rusher the Rebels have is Cedric Johnson. However, Johnson has decided to opt out of the Peach Bowl. This will put a greater emphasis on Jared Ivey, who finished the regular season with 5.5 sacks and 9.5 tackles for a loss.
Johnson opting out of the Peach Bowl while Olu Fashanu elected to play could prove to be a huge factor in this game. The Ole Miss defense has struggled mightily at times this year and will need to generate a pass rush to be effective on Saturday. Without a big game from Ivey, they may struggle to generate said pass rush.
Linebacker Ashanti Cistrunk
The second leading tackler for the Rebels, Ashanti Cistrunk will play a big role in trying to slow down Penn State's rushing attack. Cistrunk finished the season with 68 tackles, 3.5 tackles for a loss, 2.5 sacks, and an interception.
The Ole Miss defense can be susceptible to effective rushing attacks. Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen both could have a big game on Saturday afternoon, and if that happens it's difficult to envision the Nittany Lions losing. If Penn State can block Cistrunk and schematically eliminate him from the occasion on Saturday, the Nittany Lion rushing attack should find success.
Quarterback Jaxson Dart
As we mentioned above, Dart is probably the best quarterback Penn State will face this season. Dart finished the season with a career high 65.4% completion percentage, 2,985 yards, and his 20 passing touchdowns tied his career best set in 2022. Dart's 5 interceptions were less than half of the 11 he threw in 2022. He also utilizes his legs effectively, rushing for 377 yards and 7 touchdowns.
Dart can hurt a defense with his arms and legs. Slowing down the passing attack will not only be important but so will not allowing Dart to hurt the Nittany Lion defense with his legs when they get the Rebels into third and long situations.
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