Ole Miss DL Jared Ivey Compares Penn State QB Drew Allar to Arkansas' K.J. Jefferson
The No. 11 Ole Miss Rebels are preparing to take on the No. 10 Penn State Nittany Lions in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on Saturday, and they are still familiarizing themselves with the opponent out of the Big Ten.
One such way to become familiar with a new opponent is to draw comparisons. What players have the Rebels faced who are comparable to playmakers on Penn State's roster?
Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar measures in at 6-5 and 242 pounds, making him one of the largest signal callers that the Rebels will face in 2023. Still, Ole Miss is no stranger to big-bodied QBs, and defensive lineman Jared Ivey recently drew a comparison to an SEC West quarterback that his team faced this season.
© Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports
"[Allar is] a really big dude," Ivey said. "He can make throws all over the yard. More than that, he's a big guy. He's bigger than K.J. Jefferson, and that's kind of where we had our -- like that's the biggest quarterback we faced and kind of what we're basing that off of. We know it's going to be paramount to get back there and keep a hold of him and gang tackle and really get him to the ground."
Jefferson entered the transfer portal at the conclusion of the 2023 regular season, but the Sardis, Mississippi, native put up solid numbers during his career with the Arkansas Razorbacks. Against the Rebels in 2023, Jefferson threw for 250 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions in his team's 27-20 loss in Oxford.
Kickoff between Ole Miss and Penn State on Saturday is set for 11 a.m. CT at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, and the game will be televised on ESPN.
