Penn State was unsuccessful in its quest to notch another New Year's Six bowl win on Saturday, falling 38-17 to Ole Miss in the Chick-fil-a Peach Bowl on Saturday. An uncharacteristic off day from the Nittany Lions defense and another sputtering performance on the offensive side of the ball led to the downfall for James Franklin and company at the hands of the Rebels.
Despite the defeat, Penn State did have a few standout performers in Atlanta. Happy Valley Insider gives out player of the game honors from Saturday's matchup.
OFFENSE: Tyler Warren and Nicholas Singleton
The tight ends on both sides of the matchup showed out in Atlanta, which included a breakout showing by Penn State's Tyler Warren in the season-finale. Warren, who saw more playing time with a limited snap count for Theo Johnson, had a career-day against Ole Miss. The junior hauled in five catches for a career-high 127 yards in the defeat. Warren's 76 yard catch and run in the first half set up Penn State's first touchdown of the day and was the longest catch of his career as well.
The other difference-maker on Saturday was running back Nicholas Singleton, who had a strong showing in his season finale. The sophomore tailback toted the rock just eight times out of the backfield, but did have 50 rushing yards. Where he made his real impact was in the pass game, however, having four catches for 86 yards and a touchdown. Singleton set a new career-high in receiving yards despite the defeat.
DEFENSE: Kevin Winston
Saturday was forgettable for Penn State on many fronts, but the defense had its toughest outing of the year by far. Ole Miss put 38 points on the board and had more than 541 yards of total offense against the nation's top defense. One can make an argument that nobody on the Nittany Lions' defense stands out after the subpar performance without now former defensive coordinator Manny Diaz.
Sophomore safety Kevin Winston Jr. had a team-high nine tackles and a pass breakup in the defeat, earning the honor by default. The nine tackles were the second-most in his career, behind a 12-tackle outing against Michigan earlier this season.
SPECIAL TEAMS: Riley Thompson
Special teams was another area that struggled for James Franklin on Saturday, including a blocked kick in the second half that wound up being the final nail in the coffin for Penn State. Punter Riley Thompson did put together a strong showing from his position, having five punts for a total of 247 yards (49.4 average), including a long of 54 yards. Thompson also had a punt inside the 20 yard line what was a busy day for the Aussie.
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