Penn State-Ole Miss Takeaways: Lions hurt by opt-outs, passing problems continue, more
By Greg Pickel
Atlanta — Penn State did not end the 2023 season with a win. The Nittany Lions were outgunned in the Peach Bowl, falling to Ole Miss 38-25 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Here are our initial takeaways from the game.
Opt outs hurt Penn State
Before game day, only cornerback Johnny Dixon and defensive end Chop Robinson were confirmed opt-outs. However, before kickoff, cornerback Kalen King and offensive lineman Olu Fashanu were also ruled out. It left Penn State without four starters, and arguably their four best players. And, it showed on the field. While the protection was mostly fine on offense, the Lions struggled to get pressure for much of the game up front and were very limited in the secondary, which the Rebels were able to take advantage of. Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart had nearly 400 passing yards. The team was also hurt by an injury to linebacker Abdul Carter. Ultimately, though, the backups were not good enough to carry the team to a victory. Penn State was hurt by opt outs worse than Ole Miss, and it showed time and time again.
The receiver issues must be addressed
Penn State had one receiver target before the fourth quarter. Its first receiver catch did not come until early in the fourth quarter. KeAndre Lambert-Smith and Tyler Warren each had a drop. Quarterback Drew Allar was not at his best on this day. But he also did not get much help. Those hoping a month off would suddenly make the receiving room better were undoubtedly disappointed. They still cannot get open. Dante Cephas did not even play. Trey Wallace did return to action and caught a touchdown before getting hurt again. All of it was too little, too late in this game.
All told, this has been an issue for Penn State all season. And, it is not surprising that it was thus a problem in this game, too.
Young players must start growing
James Franklin spent some time this week discussing the idea of a bowl game being the end of one season and also the start of another one. He’s right. And, some players who got a lot of playing time despite not typically getting it must grow from this experience. Cornerbacks Zion Tracy and Cam Miller were at times easy targets for Dart to pick up. Linebacker Tony Rojas played just OK on the first watch of this game. Tackles Drew Shelton and Anthony Donkoh, who played a lot of time at right tackle, actually performed just fine. There are good and bad moments for these players to pick from and build on. There were also some miscues that will be good tape to watch going into 2024.
Final Penn State-Ole Miss takeaways
–This had nothing to do with the final outcome, but it was not a great day for the PAC-12 officiating crew.
–The defense was hurt by the opt outs. But it was definitely a different unit than the one Manny Diaz oversaw during the regular season. Blitzes typically did not work. Too many Rebels were left open with tons of room to run. And Penn State gave up far too many third and fourth down conversions.
–It’s easy to say in hindsight. But, we would have liked to see a bit more of Beau Pribula with Drew Allar struggling for much of the game.
