No. 10 Penn State football (10-3, 6-2 Big Ten) lost to No. 11 Ole Miss (11-2, 6-2 SEC) 38-25 in the Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.

An explosive first half full of highlight-reel plays ended with Ole Miss maintaining a 20-17 lead. However, it was all Ole Miss in the second half. The Rebels continued to have their way against an inexperienced secondary with Tre Harris and Caden Prieskorn torching the Nittany Lions time and time again. Quinshon Judkins’ production increased substantially, including a 14-yard touchdown reception, after a slow first half. The Rebels ultimately won 38-25, securing an 11th win for the first time in program history.

How It Happened

Ole Miss won the coin toss and elected to receive. A Jaxson Dart sack and an incompletion brought up a quick 3rd-and-13 for the Rebels. Then, facing extreme pressure with a noisy Penn State section behind him, Dart’s pass was nearly picked off by Cam Miller, and the Rebels punted the ball away.

Penn State took over at the 27-yard line. It looked as if Nick Singleton broke through for a big run, but a holding call brought the ball back 10 yards. Then, he picked up an 18-yard gain two plays later to bring up 3rd-and-2, and easily gained nine yards for the first down. Drew Allar found Tyler Warren for a 12-yard pass, and then a play later, Kaytron Allen exploded for a 24-yard gain to the 15-yard line. The drive stalled, though, as two incompletions and a six-yard gain by Singleton brought up fourth down. Alex Felkins’ attempt was successful, and Penn State grabbed a 3-0 lead with 9:17 left in the first quarter.

Dart fired a 12-yard pass to Tre Harris to open the drive, and then another one two plays later for 11 yards. Then, the Rebels struck big with a 34-yard pass to a wide-open Dayton Wade. An incompletion followed by Kobe King’s six-yard tackle for loss on Quinshon Judkins brought up third down. Dart tossed a touchdown pass that was called back after an offside call on Amin Vanover, which caused a chorus of boos from the large Ole Miss contingent. Another incompletion ended the drive, but Caden Davis’ field goal tied it 3-3 with 7:16 in the opening quarter.

Singleton was bulldozed at the 11-yard line on the return. Allen picked up six yards but was stuffed for a one-yard loss to bring up 3rd-and-4. Allar then scrambled 12 yards for a first down. Then, two incompletions and a one-yard rush by Singleton forced a punt.

Facing 3rd-and-10, Caden Prieskorn hauled in a 21-yard completion to extend the drive. Four rushes from Judkins brought up 4th-and-1, but the Rebels remained on the field. Ayden Williams completed a 15-yard pass to Dart on an end-around, and it didn’t end there. Williams completed a 25-yard pass to Harris, and then a six-yard pass to Prieskorn who easily reached the end zone to give Ole Miss a 10-3 lead with 30 seconds left in the first quarter.

Another holding call on the offensive line made it 1st-and-15. Then, Allar danced around the pocket and found Warren at the 29-yard line, who ran all the way to Ole Miss’ five-yard line to end the quarter. It took four tries for Penn State to score, but Allar’s pass to Theo Johnson sealed the deal to make it 10-10 with 13:34 left in the second quarter.

A one-yard rush by Judkins and a five-yard completion to Cayden Lee brought up 3rd-and-4. Dart found Harris twice to get the ball across midfield to Penn State’s 40-yard line. Judkins ripped an 11-yard and three-yard gain, and Dart’s three-yard pickup brought up 3rd-and-4. A false start followed by an incompletion brought up a field goal attempt, which Davis made to give the Rebels a 13-10 lead with 10:33 left in the first half.

A six-yard gain by Allen and an incompletion made it third down, but Allar found Khalil Dinkins for a 12-yard gain to keep the drive going. Then, he threw his second career interception to Daijahn Anthony, who was waiting for the ball at his own 17-yard line.

Prieskorn made a one-handed catch for a 20-yard gain to open Ole Miss’ drive. Ulysses Bentley IV picked up a nine-yard gain, and Dart scrambled for three yards to get the first down. A holding call bailed Penn State out of what would’ve been a 32-yard completion, and a false start two plays later made it a steep 3rd-and-12. Prieskorn was swallowed by a trio of Nittany Lions short of the line to gain, but the Rebels stayed on the field. Judkins picked up seven yards on a pitch for another first down. Then, Dart found a wide-open Prieskorn for a 37-yard touchdown to take a 20-10 lead with 4:58 left in the half.

Johnson made a 14-yard reception two plays into the drive. Beau Pribula came into the game while Allar lined up as a wideout, and he scrambled for 12 yards. Then, he dropped back and hit a wide-open Singleton, who ran into the end zone for a 48-yard touchdown play to cut the lead to 20-17 with 2:13 left in the second quarter.

Ole Miss had difficulties moving the ball in the next drive. The Rebels picked up a lone first down before punting from their own 38-yard line.

Penn State took over at the 16-yard line. Trey Potts picked up 11 yards on the first play, but he was set back a yard on the next. An incompletion made it a quick 3rd-and-11, but Allar opted to scramble. He was brought down for a one-yard loss, and the Nittany Lions punted.

After the Nittany Lions went three-and-out to open the second half, the Rebels took over at the 25-yard line. Dart connected with Prieskorn for a 14-yard play to open the drive. An incompletion and a pitch to Judkins for a loss of one yard made it 3rd-and-11. Harris once again maneuvered around Miller to make a 16-yard catch for a first down. Prieskorn made a one-handed grab for a 15-yard reception as Ole Miss continued moving the ball downfield. Then, two plays later, Dart was sacked by Zuriah Fisher to bring up 3rd-and-14. Dart’s pass was incomplete, but Davis’ field goal attempt made it 23-17 with 10:48 left in the third quarter.

Two Singleton plays and a three-yard pass to Warren brought up 4th-and-1 for Penn State. At their own 34-yard line, the Nittany Lions opted to punt.

Judkins gained 15 yards to open Ole Miss’ drive. He dodged a Nittany Lion and ran through a hole before being tackled at the 33-yard line. He picked up a first down three plays later, and his production only continued to increase from there. The Rebels continued pounding the ball downfield, with the drive culminating in Judkins making a 14-yard touchdown reception. Prieskorn was, once again, wide open as Ole Miss successfully completed the two-point conversion to take a 31-17 lead with 4:10 left in the third quarter.

After another shoddy Penn State drive, Ole Miss converted with an eight-yard gain on 4th-and-1 in its own territory. The Rebels didn’t convert again, as they punted on 4th-and-6 a few plays later.

Singleton and Warred had gains for 11 yards and 15 yards, respectively. Allar found Liam Clifford for consecutive gains to pick up a first down. He then found Warren for a 22-yard gain to push Penn State across midfield to Ole Miss’ 43-yard line. The drive stalled again, and Felkins came on to attempt the field goal. The implosion continued, as his attempt was blocked.

Ole Miss once again had its way with the Penn State defense. The Rebels marched down the field, and the 10-play drive concluded with a two-yard rushing touchdown from Dart to give them a 38-17 lead with 6:29 left in the fourth quarter.

Penn State answered with a touchdown on the next drive. Allar found Trey Wallace for a 14-yard completion in the end zone, and then, Pribula found Singleton for the two-point conversion to make it 38-15 with 4:13 to go in the game. The ensuing onside kick attempt was unsuccessful.

Three runs by Judkins resulted in a three-and-out as the clock ticked, and Ole Miss punted. Penn State didn’t score on the next drive, and Ole Miss kneeled with 21 seconds left to win 38-25.

Takeaways

• The secondary is what cost Penn State much of the game. Three hundred and ninety-four passing yards were allowed, with the likes of Tre Harris and Caden Prieskorn having big days. It was always going to be tough defending against Ole Miss’ passing offense without Kalen King and Johnny Dixon, and today gave inexperienced players such as Zion Tracy and Cam Miller tough growing pains to learn from. 
• It was penalties galore all day. The Nittany Lions definitely didn’t win that battle and continued to cost the team in pivotal moments, some of which kept drives alive that led to Ole Miss scores.
• This was one of the worst performances in recent memory of the James Franklin era. The Nittany Lions couldn’t even keep the game competitive, and Ole Miss had its way on the ground, in the air, and pretty much every category today.

What’s Next?

Penn State’s annual Blue-White Game will take place on Saturday, April 13, 2024, at Beaver Stadium. A start time has yet to be announced.