Peach Bowl Report Card: Nittany Lions Wither Vs. Ole Miss

Penn State's defense came unglued, and Lane Kiffin outcoached James Franklin.

ATLANTA | The Penn State football team couldn't wait to evacuate Mercedes-Benz Stadium after a 38-25 loss to Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl. Players hastily left the locker room postgame. At least one skipped the traditional alma mater singing with the remaining fans. A table full of Chick-fil-A bags remained untouched in the tunnel to the team buses.

This very nearly was Penn State's worst bowl loss since 1993, when the team fell to Stanford 24-3 in the Blockbuster Bowl. Only a late touchdown prevented the Lions from losing by three scores. Everywhere they looked, players and coaches found fault. "I have no explanation for you right now," defensive tackle Dvon Ellies said.

The Penn State report card will try to explain.

Offense: C-

The Lions padded their numbers with a 217-yard fourth quarter, in which quarterback Drew Allar threw for 177 and a touchdown, but that didn't reflect the struggle. The third quarter was much more representative. Down three points and starting with the ball, Penn State totaled 14 yards in the quarter, didn't get a first down and went 0-for-3 on third down.

Liam Clifford was the first Penn State receiver to catch a pass in the game — in the fourth quarter. KeAndre Lambert-Smith was targets once and dropped the pass. Dante Cephas didn't play for some reason, probably because Harrison Wallace III returned. Allar blamed himself for the loss, lamenting his turnovers. "The turnover battle's huge in a game like this, and we lost it because I had two," he said. But Allar needed help. His line couldn't handle end Jared Ivey, and Ole Miss broke up seven passes. Mostly a withering day.

Defense: D

Coach James Franklin lamented the opt-outs that hit Penn State's defense hardest. Three starters were out, one of whom (cornerback Johnny Dixon) wasn't with the team. Fellow corner Kalen King opted out as well, ceding the position to nickel corner Daequan Hardy and a collection of young players. As a result, Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart threw for 379 yards of his team's 394 passing yards (a season-high against the Lions). 

Penn State gave up 500+ plus for the first time since last year's Michigan game. Because Ole Miss averaged 6.9 yards on first down, it was able to quicken the pace and target two players. Tight end Caden Prieskom and receiver Tre Harris just bludgeoned the Lions: 17 catches, 270 yards, two touchdowns (both by Prieskom) on 24 targets. " It hurts the soul," linebacker Dom DeLuca said. "I’m going to remember this one for a while, that’s all I’ve got to say."

Special Teams: C

The flood of issues spilled into special teams in the second half, when Ole Miss blocked Alex Felkins' 51-yard field goal attempt. (Meanwhile, the Rebels' Caden Davis was 3-for-3, hitting from 45 and 52 yards). Punter Riley Thompson was fine, averaging 49.4 yards per attempt, and he'll get better with two more years in the program. Oddly, Penn State did not attempt a return in five punts.

Coaching: D

Here's the issue. Franklin lamented "too many moving parts" with his roster, obliquely referring to the players who opted out and the defensive staff changes after Manny Diaz left for Duke. Sure, that was an issue, but the Lions knew about Diaz in early December and had their roster set in Atlanta. The opt-outs, while particularly challenging on defense, were known (or at least mostly known; Kalen King's seemed like a surprise). Franklin had three weeks to address it, yet Ole Miss exploited it for three hours.

One more thing: Franklin continued his maddening fourth-down decision-making, choosing to punt in the third quarter on 4th-and-1, down six points, from the Penn State 34. It's a bowl game. What are you protecting? Meanwhile, Ole Miss was 3-for-3 on fourth down, converting two with trick plays and one from their 36-yard line. Lane Kiffin>Franklin on Saturday.

Overall: D

We're weighting the defense and coaching grades, because Penn State got torpedoed in both areas. So much that Kiffin could boast that a staffer created a fake Penn State fan account on social media to troll the Lions. To the victors, obviously. On the other side, this loss spoiled what already was a temperamental 10-2 season.

More Penn State Football

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How Ole Miss trolled Penn State on social media ahead of the Peach Bowl

Peach Bowl takeaways: Lions need a receiver reset, and more defensive depth

Ole Miss 38, Penn State 25: Breakdown of a Peach Bowl beatdown

Sheetz vs. Wawa: Penn State coach James Franklin pitches both for NIL opportunities

Lane Kiffin agrees with James Franklin about college football's "terrible system"

AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich. And consider subscribing (button's on the home page) for more great content across the SI.com network.