• Jaxson Dart to make a statement? Dart was quietly one of the country's most consistent quarterbacks in 2023, as he graded above 70.0 in eight of his 12 games. His 9.3 yards per pass attempt over the regular season was good for ninth among the nation's signal-callers.
• Watch out for Quinshon Judkins: Ole Miss has a dynamic offense that can beat teams through the air or on the ground with star running back Quinshon Judkins, who has graded above 85.0 in each of his last two seasons and has forced 69 missed tackles this season.
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Estimated Reading Time: 9 minutes
Player to watch for Ole Miss: QB Jaxson Dart (90.0 PFF Grade)
With Dart announcing his 2024 return, it will be crucial for him to end his junior year on a positive note, as he’ll likely be mentioned in the Heisman conversation heading into next season.
Dart was quietly one of the country's most consistent quarterbacks in 2023, as he graded above 70.0 in eight of his 12 games. His 9.3 yards per pass attempt over the regular season was good for ninth among the nation's signal-callers.
Jaxson Dart gives Ole Miss the early lead pic.twitter.com/zulyZfPAuu
— PFF College (@PFF_College) September 23, 2023
Player to watch Penn State: QB Drew Allar (87.7)
There are a lot of questions about whether Allar was the problem for Penn State this season or if it was the rest of the offense. Although Allar is a capable deep passer, he's thrown the ball 20 or more yards downfield on just 9.4% of his total attempts, the second-lowest mark in the nation. James Franklin will need to incorporate more of that into the offense going forward with Allar at the helm.
"Drew Allar can't throw further than 10 yards down the field" pic.twitter.com/K2JFwb7FdP
— Mark (@TheYinzerLion) December 15, 2023
Keys to an Ole Miss victory
Ole Miss has a dynamic offense that can beat teams through the air or on the ground with star running back Quinshon Judkins, who has graded above 85.0 in each of his last two seasons and has forced 69 missed tackles this season. He will certainly need to have a big game against one of the nation’s best defenses.
Keys to a Penn State victory
This should be one of the best bowl games of the year, given that both these teams are bringing back most of their impact players. These two teams would likely make the CFP next year with the new 12-team format.
This game will come down to Ole Miss’ powerful offense vs. a Penn State defense that leads the FBS in expected points added (EPA) allowed per play (-0.316). The Nittany Lions do not give up big plays and will need to continue that in order to hold Judkins and Dart in check.
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