If you’re ever looking for a how-to manual on the ways to carry an underperforming college football offense, look no further than Penn State football’s defensive playbook.

The Nittany Lions’ defense has undergone a year of triumph and transition. It garnered a reputation as one of college football’s best units, taking Penn State all the way to a second-straight New Year’s Six game. Now, against one of their toughest tests of the season, the Nittany Lions are excited to show out one more time.

For the first time in two years, Penn State will be without former defensive coordinator Manny Diaz, who recently left the Nittany Lions to take the head coaching job at Duke. Diaz earned the Duke position by building one of the nation’s best defenses over the two seasons he was at Penn State, and the road ahead in Happy Valley is uncertain without him.

With Diaz out the door, new defensive coordinator Tom Allen on the way in, and interim co-defensive coordinators Anthony Poindexter and Robb Smith holding down the fort in between, what Penn State will look like on Saturday is a bit of a question mark.

Poindexter doesn’t seem worried. Penn State played great defense before Diaz arrived, it played great defense when Diaz was in town, and Poindexter said the Nittany Lions should hold that standard against Ole Miss, no matter who’s at the helm.

“What I’ve learned here at Penn State: Our kids just come to play,” Poindexter said. “Our kids, they got this resolve to them, that, ‘Hey, when the ball’s snapped, we’re just gonna play.'”

Ole Miss’ offense won’t be the best Penn State’s had to defend this season. The likes of Ohio State and Michigan, both of which are playing in New Year’s Six games, made the Nittany Lions uncomfortable, but Penn State largely held its own on the defensive side of the ball.

Still, the Rebels have weapons. Running back Quinshon Judkins put up well over 1,000 yards on the ground in 2023, finishing as one of the best 25 rushers in Power Five football. Three receivers with 700-yard seasons will be catching passes from junior quarterback Jaxson Dart, expected to be one of college football’s best gunslingers next year should he return.

Dart will likely be the crucial factor to defend for Penn State, which will need to play cohesive football in the trenches and the secondary to stop Dart and his receivers.

“He’s a good quarterback, and their offense is electric, and it starts with the quarterback,” said defensive end Adisa Isaac, who recently declared for the NFL Draft. “He’s the head of the snake. We’ve just got to contain him and try to limit the explosive plays that they do.”

Which player will be the one to cut off the snake’s head?

“The leader of TFLs and sacks in the Big Ten [is] to my right,” said defensive tackle Dvon Ellies, referencing Isaac. “I got a lot of confidence in him.”

Calling Penn State the nation’s best defense isn’t necessarily a stretch. The Nittany Lions certainly believe it, and Ole Miss isn’t disputing that point. Dart openly admitted Penn State will be one of his toughest challenges of the year, while quarterbacks coach Charlie Weis Jr. complimented the Nittany Lions’ defense across the board.

“I think they’re just an extremely well-coached, disciplined football team,” Weis said. “They play very assignment sound, very minimal bust, very minimal mental errors. They’ve got great players at all three levels of the defense. They’ve got a great D-line, linebackers, secondary players. Top to bottom, they’re probably the most complete defense I’ve seen.”

Ole Miss’ praise and Penn State’s pride isn’t shocking — Penn State’s defense has been stellar. It’s one of the best in the nation in all the categories that matter: scoring defense, total defense, passing and rushing defenses, sacks, first downs allowed, and everything in between. Against the Buckeyes and the Wolverines, the Nittany Lions held their opponents to season-low 20- and 24-point performances, respectively.

“We’re just going to go in and play our style of defense. Obviously, we have said the word tempo, but we know we play a certain brand of football, and we’ve been playing it all year,” Poindexter said. “Our kids know they’ve got to get their cleats set and get their cleats in the ground and execute.”

There isn’t much hype about the Nittany Lions’ OK offense and Ole Miss’ alright defense. There’s a reason Dart and his receivers are the focal points of this matchup alongside Isaac and the rest of Penn State’s defense.

It won’t be particularly thrilling for Penn State fans when the Peach Bowl’s best moments come while the Nittany Lions are on defense. Penn State may need to put together an effort away from the ball to give its offense a shot to make plays, as has happened all season.

Penn State’s players sound excited by that concept, though. For departing players, the Peach Bowl is a chance to show their worth to NFL teams against a top offense. For the group as a whole, it’s one last opportunity to showcase themselves as the best in the country.

“All I’ve been hearing all week is Penn State defense versus Ole Miss offense,” departing linebacker Curtis Jacobs said. “So I feel like, when that’s been hyped up so much, you’ve got to pretty much give the people what they want.”