Penn State football departed Georgia with some rotten peaches.

The Nittany Lions ended their 2023 campaign with a 38-25 loss to Ole Miss in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on December 30. Penn State struggled on both sides of the ball, looking uncharacteristically sluggish in one of the most important games of the year.

As always, our photographers were there to capture all of the action. Let’s look back at some photos from the game.

Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta was decked out in its Peach Bowl attire, ready to welcome fans and players from near and far. The Peach Bowl reported 71,230 folks packed into Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the bowl, featuring extremely strong showings from Nittany Lions and Rebels alike.

Penn State arrived in style. Its bus was specially wrapped for the Peach Bowl.

Both of Penn State’s newly hired coordinators, offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki and defensive coordinator Tom Allen, were with the team throughout the week. Though neither called plays during the game, Kotelnicki and Allen got a taste of the blue and white before taking the reins.

Some other notable Penn Staters were in attendance, like President Neeli Bendapudi, football legend LaVar Arrington, and the Blue Band.

Penn State took to the field to warm up, preparing for the noon kickoff.

After a brief break, the Nittany Lions returned to the field with their pads to warm up a bit more.

Before we knew it, the team, led by James Franklin, emerged from a giant inflatable helmet for kickoff. A typical “Zombie Nation” entrance was sorely missed in Atlanta, but the Penn Staters in the crowd were hyped up, nonetheless.

Penn State’s defense made a statement in Ole Miss’ opening drive by way of a Cam Miller interception on the third play of the game, which was ultimately called back, but created a raucous environment for Jaxson Dart and the Rebels.

The intensity from the Nittany Lions flattened out, and Ole Miss closed the first quarter with a 10-3 lead.

Penn State found the end zone for the first time in the second quarter with a Theo Johnson touchdown.

Before halftime, Nick Singleton gave the Nittany Lions their second touchdown of the game thanks to a pass from backup quarterback Beau Pribula.

When Penn State headed into the locker room trailing by three at the half, the Peach Bowl honored previous winners of the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award, including former Penn State coach Joe Paterno, who won the trophy twice.

Joe’s wife, Sue, was in Atlanta to honor the late coach and accept recognition on his behalf.

The second half was all Ole Miss. The Rebels began mocking the Nittany Lions’ “lockdown” celebration while the fans chanted “S-E-C, S-E-C.”

Penn State made a late push that resulted in a Harrison Wallace III touchdown and a Nick Singleton two-point conversion, but it was too little, too late.

As the clock hit zero, Penn State players slowly made their way toward the tunnel. After a tearful rendition of the Alma Mater, the players left the field for the last time this season, falling 38-25 to the Rebels.