OPINION: Unmet goals in 2023 create uphill battle for Penn State football in 2024

Penn State football concluded the 2023 season with a dud of a performance in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on Saturday. Against a good Ole Miss team, the Nittany Lions could not keep up, ultimately falling 38-25. Penn State failed to finish the season with 11 wins and the vibes at the conclusion of this year feel much different than 2022. With the season now completely in the rearview, what can we take away from the 2023 Nittany Lions, and what should we expect out of the boys in Blue and White in 2024?

Peach Bowl opt-outs left massive void

We knew for a while that Penn State football would be without the services of DE Chop Robinson against Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl. But then, James Franklin revealed the day before the game that CB Johnny Dixon was not in Atlanta and would not play. Ultimately, LT Olu Fashanu and CB Kalen King also sat out, which was only made public two hours before kickoff.

Say what you will about opt-outs and what the College Football Playoff has done to the whole bowl system, but these players have to make the decision for themselves. No one should fault them if they play or not.

As for the Peach Bowl itself, their absence was certainly felt, particularly in the secondary. Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart absolutely torched an overmatched Nittany Lion secondary to the tune of 379 yards and three touchdowns. Sophomore Cam Miller, making his first career start, was particularly picked on by Ole Miss.

The problem for the Nittany Lions is they were using the same defensive scheme in the Peach Bowl that they used all year. Aggressive play that gets after the QB and ball carriers while allowing their shutdown corners to play man-to-man. They brought the aggressiveness but did not have the latter, and Ole Miss made them pay. Perhaps if co-interim DCs Anthony Poindexter and Robb Smith had adjusted to more zone coverage and not left the corners on islands, things may not have gotten quite so out of hand.

Same old story for the Penn State offense

On the offensive side of the ball, it was the same old story with the Penn State WR room as it had been all season. None of them had a catch until the fourth quarter when Liam Clifford finally recorded a reception. Clifford would finish with three. Harrison Wallace, returning from injury, caught a late garbage-time touchdown and finished with four receptions.

But that was it for the WRs. KeAndre Lambert-Smith had one target and no catches. Dante Cephas did not see the field.

Drew Allar looked shaky for most of the game, but his receivers certainly did not help him. The TE did bail him out, however. Tyler Warren led the team with five catches and 127 yards and Theo Johnson caught a touchdown pass in his final collegiate game.

Another recurring theme was baffling playcalling. Both Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen were running hard early. Then everything shifted away from them and became pass heavy. The run was totally abandoned with the Nittany Lions still in the game, making zero sense.

Was 2023 a failure for Penn State football?

Most FBS teams would love to finish with double-digit wins in back-to-back seasons. But this year certainly felt different than the 2022 season. With the momentum of a Rose Bowl victory and what appeared to be James Franklin’s best team of his tenure in Happy Valley, this year was supposed to be the year Penn State football took a step forward.

The biggest liability coming into the year was the WR room, and that certainly was one of the Nittany Lions’ biggest downfalls. It was perhaps the worst WR room I have witnessed in the 33 seasons of being a Penn State football fan.

It is hard to judge Drew Allar because of the flaws of his pass catchers. Allar showed promise at times, but he was not surrounded by a ton of reliable targets outside the TEs. Just in the Franklin era alone, there was always at least one reliable WR. Allar had zero at wideout. Despite having two very good TEs and two very good RBs, it proved to not be enough.

The defense was fantastic this year. If the wideouts were one of the worst groups I’ve witnessed, this year’s defense was one of the best units I’ve ever seen. Bowl game aside, this was an elite defense. I wish the Nittany Lions could have had a semi-competent offense to complement it.

With all of that said, this 10-win season can only be looked at as a failure in my opinion. Penn State football failed to reach its goal of beating at least one of Ohio State or Michigan, failed to win a Big Ten championship, and failed to win a big stage game this season.

Make or break season in 2024?

With both sides of the ball with new coordinators, this will be a new look Penn State Football team next season. New OC Andy Kotelnicki has the most work to do.

While it appears for now the Nittany Lions will gain the services of Ohio State transfer Julian Fleming, I’m not sure if the staff will get anyone else from the transfer portal. Some of the current WRs also may decide to exit the program.

What Kotenicki did in Kansas and Buffalo with less talent looks promising, but can he put it together at Penn State? In all likelihood, Drew Allar will still be the starting QB next season. He certainly has a ton of work to do in the offseason and needs to get more comfortable with his receivers, whoever they may be.

So far, Singleton, Allen, and Warren have all stated their intentions to return next fall. This will undoubtedly be a boost for an offense in desperate need of playmakers.

Tom Allen will take over leading the defense. This unit will likely take a step back next season, but it could still be a very good defense. Do not expect to see wild changes in the scheme, and Allen should still have enough pieces to play aggressively. Would not read too much into one exhibition bowl game.

With the expanded Playoff and new look Big Ten on the horizon, next season is going to look completely different. But the time is absolutely now for James Franklin and Penn State football to get into the Playoff for the 2024 season. The calls for his job are only going to continue to get louder, and 2024 is a make-or-break season for him.

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