Ole Miss Wary of Penn State's Run Game for the Peach Bowl
ATLANTA | Penn State's offense will be the pivotal unit in Saturday's Peach Bowl against Ole Miss, as the Nittany Lions seek to go 3-0 for interim co-coordinators Ja'Juan Seider and Ty Howle. Seider and Howle were resolute in leading the Penn State football offense past the shadow of Mike Yurcich's November firing, drawing praise from players for their unifying message.
Now, they'll face an intriguing test in the 10-2 Rebels, whose defense tied for sixth in the SEC in scoring. Meanwhile, Ole Miss defensive coordinator Pete Golding scouted the Nittany Lions' offense as a balanced yet unpredictable group, partly because Seider and Howle haven't demonstrated a core of tendencies yet. But the Rebels do have one expectation, particularly after the Lions ran for 283 yards against Michigan State in the regular-season finale.
"I think they're going to try to run the ball on us, honestly," Ole Miss linebacker Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste said.
Here's what Golding had to say about Penn State's offense.
On quarterback Drew Allar
I think they do a great job of being balanced. I think they stay on course. I think the quarterback does a great job of managing the game. I think that [James] Franklin's system of getting in and out of plays, based on the looks that they're getting, they do a really good job of that.
Obviously their quarterback, he's 80 percent on Level 1 throws. To throw for whatever it was [2,336] yards with one interception is pretty strong. It was very strong and very smart. A big part of that is the system. They're going to make you show your hand and know what you are in and dictate the run game and the pass game.
On Penn State's offensive scheme
They're very solid up front. They're well coached. They're physical. They do a nice job in the run game. They're very complementary based on the fronts and the pressures that you show. They've got two tight ends that are really good players that create extra gaps and isolate from a past standpoint and some mismatches on some backers. I still think they've got the play action game that they've been successful at of when they want to take shots. So very sound, very well coached. It will be a big challenge.
On the Nittany Lions' running game
I think both of them [Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen] run with really good balance and body control. I think they have really good contact balance, constant leg drive. I think they're hard to break down. I also think they really understand schematically what they're trying to do. I think they have really good patience and letting blocks set up. I think they do a good job of reading the second level and knowing when to cut back and knowing when to press certain things.
You can tell they're very well coached. They're very veteran in what they do, and they're really good players. It's going to be a very, very big challenge.
More Penn State Football
Penn State could return a key offensive player for the Peach Bowl
Kerry Collins to serve as Penn State's honorary captain for the Peach Bowl
Scouting the Ole Miss Rebels: The view from Oxford ahead of the Peach Bowl
Key Penn State playmaker could return for the Peach Bowl
Penn State's Kalen King available for the Peach Bowl
Penn State chases bowl history in the Peach Bowl
Lane Kiffin agrees with James Franklin about college football's "terrible system"
Yes, Tom Allen says, Michael Penix Jr. scored vs. Penn State in 2020
Nittany Lions captains take the lead in Peach Bowl opt-out decisions
AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich. And consider subscribing (button's on the home page) for more great content across the SI.com network.
