Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford is preparing to enter his third season as the starting quarterback for the Nittany Lions. The focus at the position may be more on the depth concerns coming out of the spring, but Clifford is looking forward to proving himself once again with a fresh start with a new offensive coordinator.
On Monday, Clifford spoke to the media as Penn State continues to get ready for the upcoming 2021 season. Among the questions Clifford faced was how he handled the moment he was removed as the team’s starting quarterback during the struggles of the 2020 season.
Perhaps not too surprisingly, the team captain said he was satisfied with how he handled the dose of adversity and was thankful to have a locker room of teammates who continued to have his back through the tough moments.
I asked #PennState QB Sean Clifford on how he handled being benched during the season@NittanyLionWire pic.twitter.com/0lpW1k0aaU
— David Malandra Jr (@DaveMReports) March 29, 2021
Clifford was benched in the second half of Penn State’s loss to Nebraska on November 14, 2020. He later came off the bench in the second half of their loss to Iowa on November 21, replacing an equally struggling Will Levis.
Clifford returned to the starting roll to close out the season, and he performed noticeably better to finish off the regular season compared to the first half of the year. Like the rest of the team, Clifford finished the 2020 season with some momentum to carry into the offseason.
Clifford finished the 2020 season with 1,883 passing yards, 16 touchdown passes, and 9 interceptions.
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