Report Card: Grading Penn State’s Week 4 performance vs. Central Michigan

Penn State football report card: The grades are in for the Nittany Lions after a win over Central Michigan.

Not every game has to be as pretty as the last two weeks had been for Penn State. Sometimes you have to find a way to adjust to a bit of adversity, and the Nittany Lions did that on Saturday in their Week 4 win against Central Michigan.

After jumping out to a 14-0 lead on the visiting Chipewas, Penn State found itself in a tied game in the second quarter and in need of a spark to rejuvenate the momentum. They got it in from one of their freshman running backs and the defense forced four turnovers to help prevent Central Michigan from sniffing any potential for a massive upset in Beaver Stadium.

Here are the grades on this week’s report card from Penn State’s 33-14 victory.

Quarterback

Sep 24, 2022; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Sean Clifford (14) looks to throw a pass before being tackled by Central Michigan Chippewas defensive linesman Michael Heldman (97) during the second quarter at Beaver Stadium. Penn State defeated Central Michigan 33-14. Mandatory Credit: Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports

Grade: B

This was not the finest outing Penn State could have asked for out of [autotag]Sean Clifford[/autotag], but it was more than effective enough to solidify a victory. Clifford passed for 217 yards with three touchdowns, and he ran for another, but he did hit a bit of a cold streak in the second quarter after such a solid start to the game. Clifford was lacking some help from his receivers at times, but he could have put a few more passes in better spots as well. He wasn’t sacked though.

NEXT: Running Backs