Opt-outs loom large for Penn State football in Peach Bowl loss

ATLANTA, Ga. — Penn State football ended its 2023 season on a sour note, falling to the Ole Miss Rebels 38-25 in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl Saturday afternoon. There were some slivers of optimism as the Nittany Lions suffered their third and final loss of the season. However, key opt-outs on the defensive side of the ball had a massive impact, causing growing pains as Penn State looks ahead to 2024.

Opt-outs glaringly obvious in Penn State secondary

We knew coming into the day that Penn State would be without key starters Chop Robinson and Johnny Dixon on the defensive side. Before kickoff, we learned that the Nittany Lions would be without Kalen King, as well.

The absence of King and Dixon in the secondary proved to be a challenge against the fast-paced Ole Miss passing attack. Ole Miss was not the opponent to break in an inexperienced secondary against, and it showed early. After an opening three-and-out, the Rebels scored on four consecutive drives in the first half.

Penn State’s young corners particularly struggled. Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart threw for 243 yards and two touchdowns in the first half, including seven completions of more than 20 yards. The Rebels’ quick passing attack rendered the Nittany Lions’ pass rush ineffective.

In the second half, the pace of the Ole Miss offense wore down the Penn State defense. The Rebels put up 201 yards and 18 points in the third and fourth quarters, gashing what was the No. 1 defense in the nation coming into today. Ole Miss finished the game with 541 total yards in a resounding Peach Bowl victory.

Overall, this was not the Penn State defense we saw all year. New Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Allen has a strong foundation as he takes over this unit for 2024. But after today, it appears that any optimism about the young Nittany Lion DBs is premature, at best. It wouldn’t be shocking to see Penn State football try and bring a veteran CB in from the transfer portal this offseason.

Nittany Lions find some explosive plays, but not enough to hang with the Rebels

Penn State football was criticized throughout the season for its lack of explosive plays on offense. It was a contributing factor to James Franklin’s decision to fire Mike Yurcich and hire new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki earlier this month.

But after finding explosive plays against Michigan State in November, the Nittany Lions were able to make big gains once again today. Penn State set up its first touchdown of the day with a 75-yard catch-and-run by TE Tyler Warren. The Nittany Lions then found the end zone on a 48-yard pass from backup QB Beau Pribula to Singleton in the second quarter.

Penn State finished the day with 12 plays of 15+ yards. Ultimately, it wasn’t nearly enough to keep up with the Ole Miss offense. But given how they struggled to create any big plays this season, the Nittany Lions need to try and look at this as an area to grow upon as Kotelnicki takes control of the offense for 2024.

Nittany Lion WRs fall flat once again

Tyler Warren was by far the star of the offense today, totaling 5 catches for 127 yards. But the Nittany Lions’ issues at the WR position also made the trip from Happy Valley to Atlanta this weekend.

Like we’ve seen in the biggest games for Penn State football all year, Drew Allar and his WRs struggled to find a rhythm today. Nittany Lion WRs combined for seven receptions and 92 yards this afternoon and a score — a stat inflated by gains late in garbage time. Penn State’s deficiencies out wide were juxtaposed by the Ole Miss WRs, who repeatedly made big catch after big catch en route to a Peach Bowl win.

As we did last offseason, we now turn to the WRs as the focal point for the offense’s success in 2024. Last year, Penn State football turned to Dante Cephas in the transfer portal, who left much to be desired this fall. The Nittany Lions are believed to be the favorite to land ex-Ohio State WR Julian Fleming out of the portal this winter. Ultimately, Penn State can use all the help it can get here going into 2024.

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