The 2023 Peach Bowl is taking place at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. We have the matchup of the 10-2 Ole Miss Rebels going up against the 10-2 Penn State Nittany Lions. Ole Miss comes into this one winning their final two games of the regular season. The Rebels have appeared in 40 bowl games in their program’s history. They are 25-15 in those games. Penn State comes into this one winning four out of their last five games. The Nittany Lions have appeared in 52 bowl games in their program’s history. They have a 31-19-2 record in those games. Penn State is a 4.5 point favorite with the over/under set at 50.5 Here is my preview for the 2023 Peach Bowl.
Ole Miss Rebels
The Ole Miss Rebels put together a good season in 2023. Offensively, they average 34.8 points per game to go along with 469.8 total yards of offense per game. Ole Miss’ offense is run through the duo of quarterback Jaxson Dart and running back Quinshon Judkins. Dart threw for 2,985 passing yards to go along with 20 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. Judkins rushed for 1,052 rushing yards to go along with 4.4 yards per carry and 15 rushing touchdowns. These two have been essential to the Rebels offense all season long. If Ole Miss wants to get the job done in this bowl matchup, they will need these two to have a good game overall.
Defensively, the Rebels were average in 2023. They allow 22.3 points per game to go along with 390.4 total yards of offense. The only loss that Ole Miss has in this bowl game is their starting EDGE rusher Cedric Johnson, who is opting out of this bowl game. Ole Miss allowed 30+ points in three games in 2023. They had a 2-1 record in those games. The Rebels defensively will surprise a ton of people in an intriguing spot. This could be the spot where they surprise everyone.
Penn State Nittany Lions
Penn State can’t get over the hump of beating Michigan or Ohio State. However, they still put together a great 2023 campaign. Offensively, they average 37.2 points per game to go along with 401.2 total yards of offense. The Nittany Lions are led by the quarterback play of Drew Allar. Allar threw for 2,336 passing yards to go along with 23 passing touchdowns and 1 interception. As well as Allar played this season, if it wasn’t for their rushing attack he wouldn’t have had a successful 2023 campaign. The duo of Kayrton Allen and Nicholas Singleton made it really easy for Allar in 2023. Allen (851 rushing yards on 5.2 yards per carry and 6 touchdowns) and Singleton (702 rushing yards on 4.3 yards per carry and 8 touchdowns) are key to this offense’s success. If they want to succeed against Ole Miss, this rushing attack is going to have to get the job done.
Defensively, the Nittany Lions are legitimate. They allow 11.4 points per game and they give up the 4th fewest yards of offense per game in the country (252.8). Penn State is number one in the country in rushing yards per game and is just outside the top ten in passing yards per game as well. They never gave up more than 24 points in a game. As a matter of fact, the Nittany Lions went 1-2 in games this season where they gave up more than 20 points in a game. Look for the Nittany Lions defense to come out ready to play in this on
Betting Trends
-The under is 5-2 in Ole Miss’ last 7 games.
-Ole Miss is 7-1 straight up in their last 8 games.
-Penn State is 15-3-1 ATS in their last 19 games.
-The under is 4-2 in Penn State’s last 6 games.
The Don’s Best Bet
I have one official play in this Peach Bowl matchup. My official play is Penn State -4.5 -115 for one unit. The Nittany Lions have lost games against either Ohio State or Michigan over the last two seasons. Penn State is poised for a game like this against Ole Miss. Ole Miss is ready to go, but they won’t be able to handle Penn State. Ride the Nittany Lions in this first bowl game for the Saturday slate.
