With so much talent returning, 2024 looks bright for Ole Miss. But so does the present.

Dec. 13—OXFORD — The future looks bright in Oxford. But the opportunity at hand for No. 11 Ole Miss at the end of December is one that could make history in the meantime.

The Rebels (10-2, 6-2 SEC) play No. 10 Penn State in the Peach Bowl on Dec. 30 with a chance to win 11 games for the first time in program history. Ole Miss is in its second New Year’s Six game in three years under head coach Lane Kiffin, who has led the Rebels to a bowl in all four years at the helm.

Ole Miss endured the sixth-toughest schedule in college football per ESPN’s Football Power Index and won 10 games in the regular season for just the second time ever. Wins over ranked Tulane and LSU teams — the latter featuring junior quarterback Jaxson Dart outdueling Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels — combined with the program’s fourth win ever at Auburn’s Jordan-Hare Stadium have already made 2023 one for the record books.

The Peach Bowl is the type of showcase Dart has long dreamed of being part of. It will simultaneously serve as a reward for the season’s accomplishments and an opportunity to write the season’s final chapter.

“I’ve always wanted to play in a game like this. I’ve always wanted to play in a really big bowl game,” Dart said. “And it’s just fruits of your labor of everything that you put in. You want to end things off the right way. And for the guys that are coming back, it carries a lot of momentum for them. It’s just a great opportunity for us as a team to see how far that we’ve come and to really finish this thing off the way that we wanted it to, and the way that we’ve worked this whole offseason and season for.”

Senior defensive lineman J.J. Pegues also knows that, with the recently announced returns of several key pieces, 2024 could be even more memorable.

Pegues is among a handful of super seniors for No. 11 Ole Miss…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/much-talent-returning-2024-looks-020400664.html

Author : Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, Tupelo

Publish date : 2023-12-14 02:04:00

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