Sean Clifford, steadied by experience, pushes Penn State forward
Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford has been through too much to lose sight of the goal. And, in the wake of a 35-31 win at Purdue last Thursday night, that reality has proven especially true.
The twisting, turning game included an 11-point Penn State lead. It had a stunning pick-six thrown by Clifford in the fourth quarter. And it included a dramatic, last-minute comeback for the Nittany Lions.
The 34th start of his six-year Penn State career, Clifford settled on the only conclusion he could from the performance.
“I thought it was just a great game of football and a lot of fun to be a part of,” Clifford told reporters Wednesday night. “That Purdue team is good, guys. They have a very, very good football team. I think you’re going to see them in the West winning a lot of games. And, I’m always happy to just come out with the win.”
Areas for improvement
Providing a solid 1-0 footing for Penn State from which to proceed with the 2022 season, the experience was not without teachable moments.
While Clifford finished as the Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week for his performance, completing 20 of 37 passes for 282 yards and four touchdowns, plus a rushing score, mistakes were made. Most crucially for Clifford, that came in the form of a fourth-quarter interception returned 72 yards for an interception by the Boilermakers.
Upending what’d been a tenuous 31-28 lead for the Nittany Lions, it suddenly flipped roles for the two teams at the 8:29 mark in the game’s final frame. Taken as part of the whole, though, Clifford drew a strong contrast between Penn State’s opening effort of the 2022 season against that of 2021.
“I thought for game one, on the road, versus a really good Purdue team, we did a solid job,” Clifford said. “I also thought we left a lot of points on the board. And I thought that I could have played better in the third quarter specifically, including that pick-six.
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“Other than that, I thought the first half we played pretty clean ball, which was definitely a difference from Wisconsin a year prior where the first half was God-awful and then we turned it around in the second half. So I thought we made strides.”
Sean Clifford’s next steps
Set to face Ohio on Saturday at Beaver Stadium (noon, ABC), Clifford is determined to continue that progress this week.
Acknowledging the role of adrenaline on everyone on the offense in the first game, Clifford downplayed the five drops charged to his receivers Thursday night. Pointing to his confidence in those players, and the self-confidence they’ve earned for themselves, his faith in the passing game is undeterred.
Rather, insisting that this week of practice represents a prime opportunity to get better, then translate it into an even better effort against an Ohio defense he expects to be “solid” and present multiple looks and challenges, Clifford is looking ahead with excitement and anticipation for what’s next.
“It’s all about making that week one to week two jump and coming out and being a better football team this week,” Clifford said. “I’m really excited to get out there and play another game.”
