Ole Miss Won't Use In-Helmet Play-Calling For Peach Bowl Matchup Against Penn State

Ole Miss will not test out the new helmet technology against Penn State in the Peach Bowl.

In a time where sign-stealing scandals are the talk of the industry, some college football bowl games have the opportunity to utilize coach-to-player helmet communication found in the NFL. If all goes well, teams could switch to the technology to avoid the issue in 2024. 

Ole Miss and Penn State, however, won't be two programs to test out the new gear in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl Saturday morning, although they had the option to, had both programs agreed. 

"We decided on our side not to," Rebels coach Lane Kiffin said. "We're used to a system in college football how it's been, and I don't necessarily (think), with the style that we play, that it would be as beneficial to us as maybe it would be to some other people."

Ole Miss Lane Kiffin  / Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl

Offensive play structures likely factored into the decision by Ole Miss to avoid the helmet technology. No. 10 Penn State moves with a more relaxed tempo when setting up plays. No. 11 Ole Miss likes to keep defense's guessing snap by snap. 

Recently, the NCAA approved allowing iPads on the sidelines among coaches and players. Neither team will participate in that, either. For the Rebels, they plan on securing the victory the old-fashioned way. 

For the Nittany Lions, they intend to do the same. 

With a victory, the Nittany Lions will secure back-to-back 11-win seasons for the first time since 2017. A victory for the Rebels would mark the first 11-win season in program history.

Ole Miss recently secured its second 10-win season under Kiffin since his hiring in 2020 and its second New Year's Six bid.  

“We’re kind of new to this," Kiffin said of Ole Miss' recent success. "That’s a big challenge. (Alabama and Georgia) are two of the top programs in the country. Like I said off the top of my head, outside of Ed Orgeron and Joe Burrow the last two years, who’s really gotten over the hump of those two? So we’ll just continue to work at it.”

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The Rebels will be at full strength minus edge rusher Cedric Johnson, who elected to opt out before the team arrived in Atlanta. The Nittany Lions will be without future first-round pick and defensive end Chop Robinson, who announced earlier this month he'd be declaring for the NFL draft. 

On Friday, Penn State coach James Franklin announced cornerback Jonny Dixon would not play on Saturday at 11 a.m. CT Dixon, who started 12 games opposite Kalen King, did not travel with the Nittany Lions to Atlanta earlier this week.