It’s crazy to think, considering everything that has happened at Penn State this season, that this time last year the Nittany Lions were coming off a Fiesta Bowl win over Boise State and were two wins away from a national championship. It’s even crazier to remember how close they were to pulling off an Orange Bowl win over Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff semifinals.
Dreams of the program’s first national title since 1986 all came crashing down with Drew Allar’s crushing fourth-quarter interception against the Irish. While Allar played far from a perfect game, it was easy to point the finger at his wide receiver group, which finished with zero receptions in the loss.
Penn State never got a shot at CFP redemption this season, or blew it with a six-game losing streak. Either way, Allar and the Nittany Lions didn’t get back to the CFP, but his No. 1 WR target from a year ago, Harrison Wallace III, did, and on Thursday night in the Sugar Bowl, he made the most of that opportunity.
Harrison Wallace III got his redemption for last year’s Orange Bowl and then some
After three seasons at Penn State and a 46-catch, 720-yard campaign in 2024, Wallace transferred to Ole Miss following the Nittany Lions’ Orange Bowl defeat. His departure was one piece of a WR room overhaul that saw James Franklin bring in Devonte Ross, Kyron Hudson, and Trebor Pena. Well, Wallace had a better season than any of them.
The redshirt senior set career highs with 57 catches for 894 yards this season, while serving as the Rebels’ punt returner. In the Sugar Bowl CFP quarterfinal, 366 days after he hauled in three passes for 37 yards in the Fiesta Bowl win over Boise State, Wallace was dominant in the Sugar Bowl.
The veteran wide receiver had a career day against Georgia, helping to lead the Rebels to the CFP semifinals with nine grabs for 156 yards and a touchdown. He made contested catches against physical defensive backs, something he struggled mightily with last season, especially against Notre Dame when he was three times and finished without a catch.
TRINIDAD CHAMBLISS & HARRISON WALLACE CAN'T BE STOPPEDpic.twitter.com/ts0ggULtfm
— PFF College (@PFF_College) January 2, 2026
Drew Allar needed the version of Wallace last year that Trinidad Chambliss last night. It’s a credit to the work Wallace put in to improve, it’s a reflection of now former Penn State WR coach Marques Hagans and his inability to develop the position, and it’s impossible not to wonder what could have been.