Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1514597
F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 4 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 4 9 OPENING SHOT UNDER PRESSURE It all started so well for Penn State. Despite the opt-outs, the coaching changes and the disappointment of having to settle for a spot in the Peach Bowl when what they really wanted was to make the College Football Playoff, the Nittany Lions looked feisty at the outset of their Dec. 30 matchup against Ole Miss. The Nittany Lions knew they would be with- out first-team All-Big Ten defensive end Chop Robinson for the game. In early December, Robinson had been the first player to an- nounce he was forgoing PSU's clash with the Rebels. But sophomore Dani Dennis-Sutton (33), a former five-star prospect, was poised to start in Robinson's place, and a number of other high-impact players such as sophomore linebacker Abdul Carter (11) were full-go, ready to play their part in a much-anticipated clash between the nation's top defense and a dynamic Lane Kiffin-coached Ole Miss offense. Penn State had the upper hand early, back- ing the Rebels into exactly the sort of high-risk situation that Kiffin and quarterback Jaxson Dart had surely hoped to avoid. Facing third- and-13 on the game's first possession, Dart came under heavy pressure and nearly threw an interception to sophomore cornerback Cam Miller. Unfortunately for PSU, the opening series was something less than a harbinger. Ole Miss put together an eight-play, 56-yard drive on its second series, tying the score at 3-3. Then Dart really started to heat up against a PSU defense that was without several starters in addition to Robinson and had lost Carter to an injury. The junior quarterback kept finding ways to thwart Penn State's pressure, fin- ishing with 25 completions in 40 attempts for 379 yards and 3 touchdowns, part of a 540-yard outburst that lifted the Rebels to a 38-25 victory. "Early on, we were able to get some nega- tive plays, whether it was tackles for loss, zero- gain plays or sacks," coach James Franklin said. "We had some guys in the second half who weren't available, and I think [Ole Miss] did a good job. If you watch their game plan, they went after some guys who had not played a ton of football for us this year. It will be a great learning opportunity for those guys and for us moving forward." Even after its difficult afternoon in Atlanta, Penn State still finished the season ranked third in the FBS in scoring defense (13.5 points allowed per game) and second in total defense (247.6 yards allowed per game). — Matt Herb PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL