Ole Miss football: 3 takeaways from Peach Bowl win over Penn State

Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss football knew they'd have their hands full against a 10-2 Penn State team in the Peach Bowl and it would take a near-perfect effort to capture their 11th win of the year, and they did just that.

Ole Miss routed Penn State 38-25 after taking a 38-17 lead in the fourth quarter.

The Rebels improved to 11-2 on the year and this is now Kiffin's second 10-plus-win season in the past three years and Ole Miss is looking like a legitimate SEC title threat for 2024.

What'd we learn from this Ole Miss football win?

3. Lane Kiffin became the latest to out-coach James Franklin

This was a great game for the first half and it truly felt like it could go either way, but for whatever reason (better coaching), Ole Miss came out and put the hurt on Penn State in the third quarter to take a 31-17 lead into the fourth.

And then when Penn State was down 31-17 in the fourth and it was driving, Franklin opted to kick a field goal on fourth down with under 10 minutes left instead of going for it. So, essentially, he traded a two-possession deficit for a smaller two-possession deficit -- it didn't make much sense.

Kiffin seemed to press all the right buttons, on the other hand, and he out-coached Franklin in a big game which, if you ask any Penn State fan, has become the norm.