Outback Bowl: No. 7 Indiana (6-1, 6-1 Big Ten) against Mississippi (4-5, 4-5 SEC), Saturday, 12:30 p.m. Eastern (ABC)
Line: Indiana by 6 1/2.
Series record: First meeting.
WHAT’S AT STAKE
Seventh-ranked Indiana is going for its first bowl win in nearly 30 years. The team’s lone loss wasa close one to Big Ten champion Ohio State. The Hoosiers were 11th in the final College Football Poll. Mississippi is making its first bowl appearance in five years and trying finish with a nonlosing record for the first time since 2017.
KEY MATCHUP
Mississippi’s high-scoring offense against a stout Indiana defense. The Rebels average 40.7 points and 562.4 yards of total offense a game. The Hoosiers have allowed an average of 19.4 points and 361.7 total yards. Mississippi will likely need a big offensive day because its defense is giving up 535.7 yards a game, worst in the nation. The Rebels allowed an average of 40.3 points.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Indiana: Linebacker Micah McFadden had 52 tackles, 8 1/2 tackles for loss, five sacks and two interceptions. He went to Plant High School in Tampa, Florida, which is a couple of miles from Raymond James Stadium, home of the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers and site of the Outback Bowl.
Mississippi: Quarterback Matt Corral threw for 2,995 yards and 27 touchdowns. He also rushed for 469 yards and four more TD’s.
FACTS & FIGURES
Both head coaches have ties to Tampa. Indiana’s Tom Allen coached at two Tampa area high schools from 1992-96, and was the defensive coordinator at South Florida in 2005. Mississippi’s Lane Kiffin’s father, Monte, was the Buccaneers defensive coordinator from 1996-2008 . … Mississippi is in a bowl game for the first time since the 2015 season, when the Rebels defeated Oklahoma State 48-20 in the Sugar Bowl.
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