Which key matchup will determine Penn State's chances against Ole Miss?
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We're just hours away from the 2023 Peach Bowl and Penn State football's chance to go six-for-six and win every New Year's Six Bowl game. To do it, they'll have to beat Ole Miss, led by head coach Lane Kiffen.
In order to learn more about the team, we're connecting with an old friend. Former Blue White Illustrated reporter David Eckert joins the show to discuss Ole Miss, the team he now covers. He joins the show for the first time since his move down South to give us a better understanding of the team Penn State faces.
Penn State defense facing a balanced offense
We start the show by getting to know the Ole Miss offense. Jaxson Dart is a fan favorite for his team and someone Eckert thinks Penn State fans would love. But who has the quarterback advantage? We'll discuss the matchup and how Dart operates the Ole Miss offense.
This week, Penn State defensive end Adisa Isaac assessed the offense he'll face this weekend. They bring a lot of challenging aspects to the game that don't have to with skill.
"Yeah, I say definitely the tempo and the personnel. They know how to get their skill guys into space and make plays. We kind of pride ourselves on stopping the run all year, and this is a team that has some good backs that run hard and some good receivers as well. So they're pretty balanced in that aspect. So we've just got to do a good job of locking that down," Isaac said.
The running game is a focus of our conversation, as well as how Ole Miss will face off against Penn State. However, we end the conversation discussing Tre Harris and his impact on the game.
Ole Miss defense is "multiple"
According to Penn State quarterback Drew Allar, the most noticeable aspect of the Ole Miss defense is their multiplicity.
"Yeah, we've been saying it all bowl prep that they're a very multiple team, play a lot of even and odd fronts. So we're going to have to be tight on communication up front, whether it's run-blocking schemes or pass protection," Allar said.
We discuss that diversity and what it might be trying to mask up front for Penn State's next opponent. Will the loss of Cedric Johnson affect that group?
Opt-in Culture
Finally, we'll discuss that there are only a few opt-outs on either sideline. Penn State has several players that could opt out of the game but decided to play. The same is true for Kiffen's side, where Johnson is the only player not participating. Head coach James Franklin says that it's not by accident that Penn State is nearly at full strength.
"Yeah. I think you guys have heard me talk about this in the past. These are different times in college football, and we've worked really hard to create a relationship with our players that there can be open and honest dialogue and discussions," he said.
"We've tried to create an environment where really there's no reason for any player to opt-out. What I mean by that is all the way back to Saquon Barkley, who was being projected as a top 15 pick, there's a way to do this where the player, the family, the agents, whoever, everybody's comfortable with the plan."
Which key matchup will determine Penn State's chances against Ole Miss?
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