Ole Miss to face Indiana in 2021 Outback Bowl

It’s been five years, but the Ole Miss Rebels are going bowling again. Lane Kiffin and the Rebels finished 4-5 this season after a tough 53-48 road loss in Baton Rouge last weekend. The bowl selection committee announced bowl games on Sunday and Ole Miss will be taking on the 6-1 Indiana Hoosiers in Tampa, Fla. at the 2021 Outback Bowl.

The game is scheduled for Saturday, January 2nd at 11:30am CST and will air on ABC.

Ole Miss Athletics released a few statements from Kiffin on the Rebels accepted an invitation to their first postseason appearance since their Sugar Bowl victory over Oklahoma State in New Orleans.

“Taking this team back to a bowl game is a good first step in our progression toward building a championship program,” said Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin. “We look forward to representing our university on this national stage against a top-10 opponent in Indiana. The Outback Bowl is a premier postseason destination, and I’m excited for our players to experience this trip.

“Tampa is a special place for our family. My parents spent many years there, and I attended a number of games in the Big Sombrero when I was younger. It will be great to be back in the Bay.”

The Rebs will appear in a bowl for the 37th time in program history. The programs’ all-time bowl record stands at 24-13. Ole Miss is second in the NCAA in bowl win percentage at .639, trailing only Southern Cal’s mark of .642. Ole Miss is also 16th nationally in bowl wins and 25th in bowl appearances.

Due to capacity restrictions, Ole Miss Athletics will not have any tickets available for sale, but fans can purchase tickets for the Outback Bowl here.

Kiffin and the Rebels will take on the Hoosiers and former Ole Miss staffer Tom Allen. Our friends from the Big Ten dominated their abbreviated slate this season outside of a loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes. Allen’s team has not played in almost three weeks due to COVID-19 cancellations, but they won their last contest against Wisconsin by a score of 14-6.

Leading the way for Indiana is their 32nd-ranked defense, per Bill Connelly’s SP+ rankings. Their offense, despite being ranked 26th, will be without their explosive signal caller, Michael Penix, Jr. Redshirt freshman Jack Tuttle will be under center for Allen and Indiana in Tampa. Joining him on the offense is Mississippi native Ty Fryfogle, Peyton Hendershot, and Whop Philyor.

On defense, another familiar face, Kane Wommack, has a unit that is paced by Micah McFadden, Tiawan Mullen, Jamar Johnson, and Jaylin Williams. Outside of a week one overtime win over Penn State and the lone loss to the CFP participant Buckeyes, Wommack’s group has held opponents to 21-points or less, including one shutout.

This one is going to be fun. A true “somethings gotta give” type contest with Kiffin and Jeff Lebby’s top-10 offense versus Indiana’s top-35 defense. Ole Miss looks to bounce back from their regular season finale loss and to bring Jerrion Ealy and Braylon Sanders back into the mix after they were roughed up last weekend.