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

The Nittany Lions allow a season-high 540 yards of total offense in a bitterly disappointing loss to the Rebels.

ATLANTA | Penn State gritted through chants of "SEC" during a miserable second half Friday at the Peach Bowl, as Ole Miss gut-punched the Nittany Lions to their worst loss of the season. Ole Miss rolled up a 540 yards of offense, against a team that allowed an FBS-low 223.2 per game, in a 38-25 victory at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. 

Penn State had not allowed 500 yards off offense since its 41-17 loss to Michigan last year, a game that prompted much defensive soul-searching. For new Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Allen, the reset switch gets hit soon.

The Rebels, who won 11 games for the first time in school history, overwhelmed Penn State through most of the second half. The Lions did not convert a first down in the third quarter, gave up a season-high 11 points in that quarter, had a field goal blocked and lost a fumble.

In all, a miserable day for Penn State, one that a late touchdown and 2-point conversion couldn't mitigate. This will require processing  time for coach James Franklin and his new coordinators to determine what to repair first. Until then, the breakdown of this breakdown.

The turning point

Penn State began the second half with the ball trailing by 3 points, thanks to Nicholas Singleton's frantic 48-yard touchdown catch from Beau Pribula. The Lions had some steam. Then then went quietly through a 3-and-out that foreshadowed a dreary third quarter of offense.

Penn State's first three drives of the second half were 3-and-outs. The Lions managed 14 total yards, three in the air. They went 0-for-4 on third down. Meanwhile, Ole Miss put together scoring drives of 40 and 82 yards, breaking the Lions with a too-easy combination of touchdown pass and 2-point conversion. The Lions' defense certainly struggled, but that quarter sapped any surge the defense might have made.

Penn State had outscored its opponents 115-3 in the third quarter during the regular season. Ole Miss won the third quarter 11-0.

Penn State's defense comes undone

The Lions said this week that they wanted to close the season by showcasing Manny Diaz's defense one last time. Instead, it was their worst game of the season.

Penn State gave up season highs in points, total yards and passing yards in a wholesale meltdown against Ole Miss. The Lions were without three defensive starters, and linebacker Abdul Carter lost any effectiveness due to a first-half ankle injury. Still, the Lions could not corral Ole Miss' tempo offense, tight end Caden Prieskorn, receivers Tre Harris or Dayton Wade, running back Quinshon Judkins and quarterback Jaxson Dart.

Dart threw for 379 yards, Prieskorn and Harris went over 130 receiving yards and Judkins topped 100 yards rushing. Dart and his receivers owned Penn State's depleted secondary, the ends developed no sustained rush and Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin kept the Lions guessing with a Philly Special and a fumblerooskie to convert fourth downs.

Drew Allar's long, long day

The quarterback missed the warm protection the left side of his line provided, notably tackle Olu Fashanu, who opted out of the game. He also didn't complete a pass to a receiver until the fourth quarter (to Liam Clifford). But Allar had a rough go leading, leading to some messy decision-making. 

The clearest example: Allar lofted perhaps his most dire pass of the season in the second quarter, a floated ball downfield to a well-covered Omari Evans that was intercepted. Granted, Ole Miss end Jared Ivey got in Allar's face and might have clipped his arm, but the play just wasn't there. Ole Miss turned that into a score.

Allar (19-for-39) gamely led a fourth-quarter surge that pushed him to 295 yards passing, but the damage had been done earlier. He also had an astonishing five passes tipped, one of which Allar ended up catching.

A withering fourth-down decision

Franklin normally is fairly aggressive on fourth down, often chasing momentum where none exists. But Franklin went against his tendency on a third-quarter 4th-and-1, choosing to punt from his own 34-yard line. Ole Miss responded with an 82-yard touchdown drive, riding Judkins, and a 2-point conversion to take a 31-17 lead.

That spot was tough. To that point, Allar's struggles were evident, and his receivers had not caught a pass. But Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton were averaging about 5.5 yards per carry, and backup quarterback had shown some success in short-yardage. The offenses needed a boost there but didn't get it.

The bright spot: Tyler Warren

Who knew 257-pound Tyler Warren had those reflexes or wheels. Warren deftly caught a tipped pass (the fourth Drew Allar throw Ole Miss disrupted in the first quarter) and jetted to a 75-yard gain for Penn State's longest offensive play of the season. Of course, backup quarterback Beau Pribula was on the field blocking. It led to a Theo Johnson touchdown catch on fourth down.

WHAT A PLAY FOR PENN STATE 🔥 pic.twitter.com/xiJumfw5Th

— ESPN (@espn) December 30, 2023

Warren, who announced recently that he will return for the 2024 season, was Penn State's best offensive player. Warren had 127 yards receiving, with 103 of them after contact.

More Penn State Football

Penn State Football on SI.com

Penn State down four starters for the Peach Bowl vs. Ole Miss

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

How Ja'Juan Seider and Ty Howle rejuvenated Penn State's offense

Kerry Collins to serve as Penn State's honorary captain for the Peach Bowl

Scouting the Ole Miss Rebels: The view from Oxford ahead of the Peach Bowl

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.