Ole Miss Peach Bowl Preview: Q&A With All Penn State's Mark Wogenrich

The Grove Report and All Penn State have collaborated for a Q&A session ahead of the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on Saturday.

The No. 11 Ole Miss Rebels and No. 10 Penn State Nittany Lions are preparing for the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on Dec. 30 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, and part of that preparation involves scouting.

The Rebels and Nittany Lions have never faced one another on the gridiron, so many Ole Miss fans may be unfamiliar with the Penn State program under James Franklin. It never hurts to familiarize yourself with the next opponent on the schedule, so why not start now?

That's where The Grove Report comes in. We have taken a look at the Nittany Lions' individual position groups, and this week, we look at the team as a whole. This is a New Year's Six bowl game after all, so the stakes are rather high.

We have taken an overarching look at Penn State's season as well as its offensive and defensive playmakers. Today, we are joined by All Penn State's publisher Mark Wogenrich of SI.com for a Q&A session regarding the Nittany Lions.

Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl

John Macon Gillespie: Ole Miss fans may be somewhat familiar with Penn State if they keep up with the national landscape, but they certainly won’t be as familiar with them as they are conference opponents. How exciting or disappointing is a 10-2 season considered in Happy Valley this year?

Mark Wogenrich: Last year Penn State went 10-2, won the Rose Bowl, and it was exciting. This year, 10-2 was disappointing because it proved to be the same season: win 10 games, many of them rather comfortably, and lose to Ohio State and Michigan. In fact, Penn State coach James Franklin fired offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich after the Michigan loss. Firing an assistant during the season was unprecedented for Franklin and underscored how the coach and program felt. They believed this was a playoff team and should have won at least one of those games.

Gillespie: Ole Miss utilizes a lot of tempo on offense. Is that something that the Penn State defense has been tested with at all in the Big Ten?

Wogenrich: Penn State has some experience with tempo offenses, though none that run with the frequency of Ole Miss. The Lions substitute freely on the defensive line, play a lot of nickel sets and have a dual-threat linebacker/pass rusher in Abdul Carter who can be disruptive. Interim defensive coordinator Anthony Poindexter (yes, Penn State has interim coordinators on both sides of the ball) knows how much pressure and man coverage former coordinator Manny Diaz (now the head coach at Duke) liked to run. He'll stick with that approach, even if Penn State can't substitute as much.

Gillespie: The Big Ten isn’t usually portrayed as a conference that is as explosive on offense as the SEC, but Penn State certainly has some solid numbers and playmakers on that side of the ball. Is there a certain offensive philosophy that Rebels fans should expect from PSU?

Wogenrich: Penn State’s primary playmakers are at running back (Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen) and tight end (Theo Johnson and Tyler Warren). Allen runs heavy, while Singleton can get outside. They’re considered co-starters and will rotate series. Allen in particular can wear out tired defenses in the fourth quarter. Penn State’s big issue this season was its lack of big-play receivers. Last year, the Lions had 49 passing plays of 20+ yards. This year, they converted just 25. The downfield threats mostly just weren’t there for quarterback Drew Allar, whose touchdown-interception ratio of 23/1 was a partial byproduct of checkdowns.

Gillespie: Speaking of defense, how big (or non-big) are the Nittany Lions’ opt-outs for this game?

Wogenrich: All-Big Ten defensive end Chop Robinson, a potential first-round draft pick, is an official opt-out and a significant loss, though the Lions are stocked on the edge. Adisa Isaac and Dani Dennis-Sutton will cover that loss. Starting cornerback Johnny Dixon is a silent opt-out (he hasn’t announced yet) and had a terrific season, but a player to watch in his spot is Daequan Hardy, who is has declared for the NFL Draft but is playing. The Lions could have three corners drafted, as potential first-rounder Kalen King is with the team in Atlanta but might be on a pitch count. So could linebacker Curtis Jacobs, another draft entrant.

Rebels Dart, Judkins Focused On Peach Bowl Before Deciding Futures

Gillespie: Who is one “lesser-known” name on the roster that Ole Miss fans should be familiar with before the game starts?

Wogenrich: Receiver Harrison (Trey) Wallace was Penn State’s projected No. 1 before the season and caught seven passes for 72 yards in the opener against West Virginia. But two different injuries caused him to miss five games, including the final four of the regular season, and really limited him in the games he played. But Wallace is back, looks healthy at practice and should get some snaps. He’s the deep threat Penn State needs to keep Ole Miss from cheating its safeties forward in the run game.