ATLANTA, Ga. – As the No. 9 Ole Miss Rebels get ready for the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, they arrived at the Hilton Atlanta on Thursday just in time for a special Christmas dinner.

Friday officially kicked off the Rebels’ bowl week preparations. After breakfast and an early afternoon practice at the Georgia Dome, the team took part in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl Welcome Party alongside the No. 6 TCU Horned Frogs at the new College Football Hall of Fame.

“It’s been fun,” sophomore tight end Evan Engram said at the Friday morning media opportunity. “There were a lot of warm welcomes. It’s a great staff here. We had a great dinner last night and I got to spend some time in the game room with my teammates.”

Academically, the football team posted their highest GPA in recorded history, and everyone is eligible to play in the bowl game.

“From where we were when I got here, to where we are now, I could not be more pleased with the progress that has been made there,” head coach Hugh Freeze said. “A lot of credit goes to Derek Cowherd and his staff. Everyone is eligible, so that’s a good thing and we’re progressing nicely there.”

Other than the season-ending injuries, which include junior offensive guard Aaron Morris, who underwent surgery to repair his torn ACL, Freeze said they’re healthy going into the bowl practices in Atlanta.

“As far as the ones we have here, we’re healthy,” Freeze said. “We have a couple of issues with flu-like symptoms, which is always the case this time of year. One of my prayer requests this morning was that we would stay away from the sickness stuff.”

The Welcome Party also began the “Battle for Bowl Week,” which is a series of competitions designed to enhance the Bowl Week experience for the players by bringing their competitive nature into areas off the playing field. Each team is playing for the Battle for Bowl Week Championship Belt.

At the end of the Welcome Party, Ole Miss and TCU were locked in a 1-1 tie in the “Battle for Bowl Week.” Offensive linemen Justin Bell, Ben Still and Robert Conyers contributed to a Rebel victory in the Milkshake Combine, and quarterback DeVante Kincade competed in the Xbox Madden Challenge.

The rest of the bowl week competitions will include Super Shot Basketball at Dave & Buster’s, go-kart races at Andretti Indoor Karting and a football version of “The Family Feud.”

Ole Miss will practice at Georgia State on Saturday, followed by a trip to Dave & Buster’s for some super-sized fun and games.

by Ole Miss Media Relations