A Penn State football Peach Bowl collapse: What's next for this struggling offense ...

ATLANTA — It turned into the deciding position match-up of this Peach Bowl:

The young Penn State football cornerbacks against the high-flying Ole Miss receivers.

The Nittany Lions boasted one of the most experienced, skilled defensive back units in the nation throughout 2023. Of course, that was before recently missing starting corners Kalen King and Johnny Dixon, both bowl game opt-outs.

Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart entered Saturday's game with a penchant for rifling sideline shots to his core of high-production wideouts.

And so the plan only accelerated on this day with the Lions relying on backup corners Cam Miller, Zion Tracy and senior Daequan Hardy.

Ole Miss wideouts in the first half: 9 catches, 147 yards. Dart finished with 379 passing yards and three scores.

On the other hand, the Penn State wideouts didn't so much as manage one catch early on.

And things only worsened from there in Penn State's second New Year's Six bowl loss under James Franklin.

Here's three things we learned about Penn State in its 38-25 defeat:

Penn State football and shaky Drew Allar: Why not Beau Pribula?

For sure, the Nittany Lions' hopeful star QB, Drew Allar, struggled with his timing and accuracy from the start against the Rebels.

Four of his first-quarter passes were tipped at scrimmage.

He completed only five of his first 15 throws and had a bad interception.

So, was backup Beau Pribula the better option in the second half, at least as a serious change-up?

Pribula certainly made the most of his spot duty early. Plus, the Lions have run the ball better than they've thrown all season — Pribula's strength.

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The former Center York star ran twice in the first half for 16 yards.

He threw a 48-yard catch-and-run touchdown pass to Nick Singleton.

And he even sprinted ahead of the pack to help spring tight end Tyler Warren on his 75-yard run on the final play of the first quarter.

Pribula never got a shot in the second half as the Lions fell further behind.

Where was the defensive pressure?

The Lions needed big days from rush-ends Adisa Isaac and Dani Dennis-Sutton.

The pair started hot but fizzled quickly, in terms of impact.

Shorthanded Lions: Penn State football to miss more key starters vs. Ole Miss in Peach Bowl

The pair combined for just five tackles, one behind scrimmage. No quarterback hurries.

They were the biggest rush threat to Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart (along with injured Abdul Carter) and it never really materialized.

Penn State football offense: Andy Kotelnicki has a lot to fix

The Lions' offense appeared to make a turn for the better toward the end of the regular season.

But the bottom line is they need an overhaul in their pass game, especially in terms of receiver utilization. Same even for the running backs, who have more open-space skills than shown for most of 2023.

Penn State's wideouts owned just seven catches for 92 yards against the Rebels — much of that at the very end with the game already decided — and never a threat to break things open. Part of that problem is personnel, part scheme and even part quarterback play.

Kotelnicki, Penn State's new coordinator, has his work cut out for him. Can the Lions get help in the transfer portal this winter and spring?

The Lions cannot be a tight end-based offense with no threat on the outside in 2024. No matter how good their big-bodied receivers may be.

Frank Bodani covers Penn State football for the York Daily Record and USA Today Network. Contact him at  fbodani@ydr.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @YDRPennState.

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Penn State football vs. Ole Miss in Peach Bowl: Why Drew Allar failed