What Went Wrong for Penn State in the Peach Bowl

The Nittany Lions revealed some roster leaks in a 38-25 loss to Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl.

Penn State began the Peach Bowl with fireworks. Opening on defense, the Nittany Lions forced a quick 3-and-out, nearly intercepting an Ole Miss pass, and looked in decisive. And that was the defensive highlight of the afternoon.

Ole Miss rode a second-half outburst to a dominant 38-25 victory, turning in the first 11-win season in program history. Penn State (10-3) fell short of becoming the first team to win each New Year’s 6 bowl, while coach James Franklin’s record in such games fell to 3-2. As the calendar turns to 2024, Penn State and Franklin have some serious work to do if they intend to win double-digit games again in next year’s expanded Big Ten. Let’s dive into some takeaways from a Peach Bowl blowout.

Secondary and defensive depth

Ole Miss obliterated Penn State’s previous season high in yards allowed, racking up 540 yards on a laboring defensive unit. The Lions entered the day as the nation’s top-ranked unit, but losing coordinator Manny Diaz, cornerbacks Kalen King and Johnny Dixon and defensive end Chop Robinson really made a difference. Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart was able to target 1-on-1 matchups against sophomore corner Cam Miller and freshman Zion Tracy, giving lead receiver Tre Harris a stellar seven-catch, 134-yard line.

Senior end Adisa Isaac was part of that fast start for the defense, though his NFL declaration altered his number of snaps played. Star linebacker Abdul Carter was rolled up on in the second quarter and tried to fight through the pain before he became a liability. The defense was a completely different unit once those two left the field, showing some serious concerns for Penn State’s 2023 depth across the board.

The Lions additionally struggled to identify run-pass option routes in the secondary, as Hardy and Miller combined to lose Ole Miss tight end Caden Prieskorn for a 37-yard touchdown. Preiskorn gashed Penn State all day with 10 catches, 136 yards and two scores. A similar problem came with running back Quinshon Judkins sneaking out of the backfield for a 14-yard receiving touchdown of his own. Miller, Tracy and the rest of the young secondary have great physical tools, but there were more than a few growing pains Saturday that need to be fixed by next season.

Beating a dead horse

Penn State’s first reception by a wide receiver came under the 14-minute mark of the fourth quarter. Even at that, it was Liam Clifford, who finished the regular season seventh on the team in yardage. No. 1 receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith had just one target with no catches and late-emerging Dante Cephas did not see the field. (Both Lambert-Smith and Cephas declined to comment after the game). The return of a healthy Harrison Wallace III resulted in just two catches before a late score helped his stat line. Once again, tight ends led the way as Tyler Warren had five catches for 127 yards. Penn State has to feel lucky that he’ll return in 2024.

Penn State began the season with concerns at receiver and ended it with even more. Lambert-Smith looked like a No. 1 for about half the year before having just two catches over the last four games of the year. Cephas showed flashes with no consistency. Penn State needs improvement badly, whether from the transfer portal or its three freshman signees.

Nicholas Singleton hates the SEC

If there’s one bright spot from the Peach Bowl, it’s that Penn State’s star running back tandem is just that. There were reasonable concerns about Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen through much of the year, but the tandem proved they’ve still got it against Ole Miss and Michigan State. Singleton has elite burst and his vision has improved, while Allen’s vision and pure strength has always been admirable. Singleton finished 136 yards of offense, including 86 and a touchdown on four receptions, continuing his solid play against SEC opponents. He made a statement with 124 yards and two touchdowns at Auburn last year.

Penn State ran for 62 yards on its opening offensive drive Saturday, averaging 12.4 yards on five carries. Those numbers obviously slowed, but to finish the day with 152 yards at 5.6 yards a pop is encouraging. New offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki turned Kansas into the nation’s eighth-best rushing offense, so signs point to Singleton and Allen continuing to improve next year.

But the offense still needs help

Penn State’s offense has been uneven all year and largely beyond repair against Ohio State and Michigan, which resulted in Mike Yurcich’s firing. Considering things didn’t look much better against Ole Miss, it may not have all been Yurcich’s fault, and it’s more than fair to say Kotelnicki has a long road ahead of him.

The aforementioned concerns at wide receiver exist, but Drew Allar looks to be far from his 5-star potential. His decision-making is slow and he hasn’t seemed consistently confident, especially as he completed just 49 percent of his passes against Ole Miss. The offensive line will miss at least three starters next year, and Allar was under plenty of pressure Saturday as it was (he had four passes tipped). Theo Johnson is gone from the tight end room, too. It’s not time to hit the panic button on Allar. His tools are all there, but the talent around him isn’t enough, and his coaching hasn’t provided enough, either.

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Max Ralph is a Penn State senior studying Broadcast Journalism with minors in sports studies and Japanese. He previously covered Penn State football for two years with The Daily Collegian and has reported with the Associated Press and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Follow him on Twitter (X) @maxralph_ and Instagram @mralph_59.

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