CHICK-FIL-A PEACH BOWL: OLE MISS VS PENN STATE

December 27, 2023

JJ Pegues

Mercedes-Benz Stadium

Ole Miss Rebels

Quick Quotes

Q. Kaytron is known as being a punishing guy. As a defensive lineman, how does that come across on film when you're watching a guy like that?

JJ PEGUES: He reminds me of Kenneth Walker, like not really the tallest, but just stocky and going to run for an extra three, four yards after contact.

And it just makes it seem like we've got to wrap up, wrap and squeeze, and just run our feet and try to get negative gains as we run the ball.

Q. He kind of considers himself to be a tone setter where, if he's running hard, everyone can feed off of that. Does that kind of come through? As a defense, how do you go about you guys being the one to set the tone?

JJ PEGUES: We really just stop the run basically. When you stop the run, we control the game. Then they have to play one-dimensional and pass. That's what we have to do.

Q. You called Drew a smart quarterback earlier. What stands out about how he goes about things from that quarterback position?

JJ PEGUES: He doesn't really force anything. He'll take any open windows. He does check-downs and stuff like that, which makes the quarterback be patient going check-down, check-down and run it all the way through to the big shot. When he has big shots, he takes it.

That dude is smart on his behalf. He's got a great arm, and he can run it too. I know he's bigger than K.J. Jefferson, who we played against at Arkansas, but he's a great quarterback.

Q. Does the Penn State offense and how they go about things, does it remind you of anything that you've seen already this year looking at film?

JJ PEGUES: A little of -- like the run game has got a little of Georgia Tech in it from the pistol and the tight ends. They use their tight ends a lot. Me being a tight end, I like that.

No, I would say like Georgia Tech maybe.

Q. James Franklin and Lane, I think are on the same page of getting guys to stick around, having that buy-in so far. Penn State has one guy officially out, might be two. What does that look like during the course of a season for a coach to really develop that and get all the guys to buy in? What's the communication like? How does that work?

JJ PEGUES: I feel like it's from the beginning of the season. We know we've got one goal and one goal only, and it's to win games. For us, it's an opportunity to make history at Ole Miss and win 11 games. So I feel like just that by itself people really want to buy in and do this for the city, for Oxford, and do it for Ole Miss.

So I feel like it was really just a quick pitch of let's go win 11 games and let's make history.

Q. Is there anything about the Penn State offense that stands out to you or that I didn't ask you about or certain players that really stand out to you?

JJ PEGUES: I think I hit every point. They've got a great run game, great, smart quarterback, great O-line. We've just got to come with it.