ATLANTA -- Playing in this Peach Bowl means a lot to Penn State. There's plenty at stake against Ole Miss. A chance at a small piece of history, as the Nittany Lions can become the first program to win all of the New Year's Six bowl games.
In other words, actually winning the game, which kicks off Saturday, noon, inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium, is a big deal.
If that sounds like a no-duh, common sense kind of statement, think again. Because in this day and age, going to a bowl game is cool and fun and exciting, but winning the game really isn't all that important to a ton of teams.
Penn State, though, has a tremendous bowl tradition -- established by Joe Paterno, who went 24-12 in bowls -- and James Franklin has carried forward the notion that winning bowl games still does matter.
There's also the traditional question of: Does a bowl game cap one season, or serve as a springboard to the next?
Both can be correct answers, and again, Franklin sees value in both.
"I think these bowl games, in a lot of ways, they are obviously the ending point of your season, that's obvious," Franklin said Thursday in Atlanta. "But I do think there's a lot of discussion and argument about how ... they're the first game of next season for you. You're probably going to have some situations where you're going to have some players that maybe were playing complementary roles for most of the season are going to have bigger roles in this game. So, that's an opportunity for them. It's also an opportunity for the coaches to have them ready to play. That's part of it.
“So yeah, there's a lot to be said that this is the finishing touches of last season, but I think there's also an opportunity for us to get some momentum from this going into next season."
Penn State has a whole bunch of good players who are heading to the NFL Draft. The thought a few weeks ago was that most if not all of the key guys would end up opting out of the Peach Bowl, but that simply has not been the case.
Only one Lion standout has opted out of this game -- defensive end Chop Robinson, a potential first-round draft pick. Most of the other players who have announced they will declare for the draft have also said they will be playing in this game. Left tackle Olu Fashanu, a potential top 10 pick, hasn't made it clear yet if he will play or not, saying only that he would be at the game to be with his teammates.
There's also the question of how much cornerback Kalen King will play. He's a potential first- or second-round pick if he turns pro, but he has not made a public declaration about that yet. There have been hints dropped this week that King will indeed play in the bowl game, but even if so, it probably will be on a limited basis.
UPDATE: Cornerback Johnny Dixon is not with the team and will not play in the game, Franklin announced Friday morning. That's a significant loss for the Lions, since Dixon had a very good year. Now, there's a chance Penn State could have two young cornerbacks on the field for the majority of the game. Also, Dixon apparently is going to declare for the draft, which he has not yet announced publicly.
While most of Penn State's key players have said they will play in the bowl game, there's still the big question of just how much any of them will play. It's possible that most of them will be on a "snap count," meaning they'll be limited to a certain number of plays or series -- and likely a small number in several cases.
Linebacker Curtis Jacobs, for one, was asked about a snap count and offered very little info on what might happen.
"I'm not sure what that looks like yet," Jacobs said. "Obviously I knew I wanted to play, but I just wanted to go out there and play. I didn't want to do any restrictions or talk about any restrictions. For me, it's about doing what I can to win and allowing the coaches to help me out with all of that."
Cornerback Daequan Hardy had this to say about what the Penn State team will look like, depending on who's playing and how much.
"It won't look any different," he said. "It will be just be a couple guys aren't playing in the game, so we've got a couple of young guys stepping into roles which can lead into next year's success."
As has been pointed out repeatedly since this bowl matchup was announced, a game between Penn State and Ole Miss would be a very fun and intriguing matchup -- if everybody on both sides is playing.
The matchup pits a great Penn State defense against a very good Ole Miss offense. But with Robinson missing the game and King's snap count in question, it could create some holes on the defense. Then there's the obvious element that the architect of the defense, Manny Diaz, already left to become the new head coach at Duke.
Yes, it's commendable that most of the Penn State guys are going to play in this game. But ... if Robinson and Fashanu don't play for Penn State, this game will take on a different look. That's just the way it is, given that's two potential first-round draft picks possibly out of the mix.
If King doesn't play much, then this will be, by and large, a drastically different Penn State team.
"These are different times in college football, and we've worked really hard to create a relationship with our players that there can be open and honest dialogue and discussions," Franklin said. "We've tried to create an environment where really there's no reason for any player to opt out. What I mean by that is all the way back to Saquon Barkley, who was being projected as a top 15 pick, there's a way to do this where the player, the family, the agents, whoever, everybody's comfortable with the plan.
"To be able to finish the season with your teammates, I think is important, but I also understand the challenge of it. So just try to have great conversations and discussion. Kalen was great. Kalen's parents were great. I had really good discussions and came up with a plan that everybody was comfortable with. So great to have him here and be part of the program for one more game."
Regardless of who's playing and who's not, this is a major bowl game that offers all of the outgoing Penn State players a great chance to finish their college careers on a high note. Being able to reflect on all of that is not lost on the players.
"Coach Franklin's been big on reflection and just not taking these moments for granted," defensive lineman D'Von Ellies said. "You know, 20, 30 years down the road, you're going to look back, and you're going to look back at the moments with your teammates and you'll kind of wish you appreciated it more in the moment. That's what Coach Franklin says.
"We truly took that to heart, especially this year with the season we had, with the guys that we've got. The brotherhood just felt so much stronger this year. I appreciate Coach Franklin for putting that into perspective for us, especially these last couple weeks."
"Yeah, I definitely agree with that," defensive end Adisa Isaac followed up after Ellies' comments. "Just over these last two years really, just building this chemistry, the defense especially, and building all these strong bonds and relationships that's going to last us well off from college. That's what it's all about, the relationships that you build. Just being in the moment, I know we try to focus on what's next all the time, but look to your left and look to your right and give the guy next to you a hug. That's what we always do in the defensive meeting room. So kind of just taking time and just taking a breath of fresh air and just enjoying it."
The location of this game offers a pretty cool connection for one Penn State player in particular. Right tackle Caedan Wallace grew up near Atlanta before moving to New Jersey when he was 12.
"I grew up maybe three minutes away from here," Wallace said. "My first memories are watching my brother play, my oldest brother play in Butler Park. That's not far from here.Then we moved out to the suburbs and started playing at Earl O'Neal Park out in Rockdale County. I really started my career there, fell in love with the game out there. Played at my middle school as well, Conyers Middle School, until I moved. So, being out here is awesome. Being able to start my career and then be able to finish my collegiate career here is really cool, especially in Mercedes-Benz Stadium."
A bunch of players on this Penn State team will be back next year, and there will be high hopes for the program in 2024. But for this game, it's about trying to win against a good opponent, to finish the season strong and to send all of the outgoing players out with a good victory.
"The biggest thing for us is just sending these seniors out the right way," quarterback Drew Allar said. "Because they've provided us so much from being like the younger guys the past two years and provided us with just great examples how to live as a Penn State football player on and off the field and how to carry ourselves. So, first thing and the most important thing is sending these guys out the right way and just giving them high notes to end their Penn State career on."
