Will Sean Clifford become Penn State’s all-time leading passer in 2022?
While Penn State has never been known for it’s quarterback play, the team’s history books appear like they are about to change.
Presently, [autotag]Trace McSorley[/autotag] is the all-time leading passer in program history. Hot on his heels though is present starter Sean Clifford. Clifford is returning for his fourth season as Penn State’s starting quarterback while some fans are eager to see what comes next at the position with Drew Alar on deck. But before that page if slipped, Clifford has a great chance to rewrite some Penn State passing reocrds.
If he can stay healthy, then the all-time passing record should be Clifford’s. Notably, though, there are some surprising names in the team’s all-time passing ranks. Names like Clifford and McSorley are obviously in there but also players like [autotag]Darryl Clark[/autotag], [autotag]Christian Hackenberg[/autotag], and program favorite [autotag]Matt McGloin[/autotag] also make appearances.
While none of them outside of Clifford are still competing, their careers never stray away from Penn State fans. Look now at the team’s top-10 all-time passing rankings entering 2022.
Penn State Bowl History: LaVar Arrington and Courtney Brown spoil the college finale of Kentucky QB Tim Couch in the 1999 Outback Bowl
The headlining story of the 1999 Outback Bowl was Kentucky quarterback Tim Couch. The consensus All-American and the SEC Player of the Year in 1998 was on his way to being the No. 1 overall draft pick in the 1999 NFL draft, but Penn State’s defense made sure Couch didn’t go out of the college game a winner. Penn State’s defense was dominant against the Wildcats on their way to a 26-14 victory in the 1999 Outback Bowl.
The 1999 Outback Bowl was the first New Years Day bowl game for Kentucky in 48 years, so it was a big deal for the Kentucky program and the perfect opportunity for the school’s best quarterback of all time to go out with a curtain call. But this was old hat for Penn State, and for the second time in four years the Nittany Lions came out on top of the Outback Bowl against an SEC opponent.
Kentucky did hold a 14-3 lead on Penn State in the first quarter, but Penn State shut things down for the Wildcats and their air raid offense for the rest of the game. And who else to lead that dominant defensive effort than the duo of LaVar Arrington and Courtney Brown?
Kentucky quarterback Tim Couch looks for an open receiver during the Outback Bowl against Penn State. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)
Little did we know at the time, but the 1999 Outback Bowl ended up having back-to-back No. 1 NFL draft picks going against each other. Couch was the top pick in the 1999 NFL draft and Brown was the first pick of the 2000 NFL draft, both going to the Cleveland Browns. And, of course, Arrington would be the No. 2 pick in the 2000 NFL draft.
Brown, who was named the game’s MVP, came up huge for the Penn State defense with back-to-back sacks of his future teammate in Cleveland to thwart Kentucky’s 17-play drive that reached the Penn State seven-yard line in the fourth quarter, with Kentucky threatening to cut Penn State’s lead to just five points.
Kentucky’s quarterback did set the Outback Bowl record with 336 passing yards but Penn State sacked the SEC Player of the Year six times and picked him off twice. Anthony King was responsible for both interceptions for the Penn State defense.
“A couple of things we did confused him,” Paterno said after the game. “We thought if we could make him think a little, we could get the rush to him. You don’t get any better than they were on their first couple of drives. We made some changes. Some of the things we did early in the game just didn’t seem right, and we cut them out.”
Penn State kicker Travis Forney connected on an Outback Bowl-record four field goals in the victory, as Penn State’s offense struggled to finish off too many drives in the end zone. Kevin Thompson did connect with Joe Nastasi on a 56-yard touchdown pass.
Penn State ended the 1999 season with a record of 9-3 with the victory in the Outback Bowl, ending the season in the final AP Top 25 poll at No. 17, four spots lower than their preseason ranking. It was a season in which Penn State proved to be a pretty good team overall but had their obvious shortcomings against superior opponents. Penn State had been unable to hang with No. 1 Ohio State in a road game (28-9) and the Nittany Lions were blanked by No. 22 Michigan in a stunning upset for the No. 9 Nittany Lions (27-0). Penn State also came up small on the road against No. 13 Wisconsin (24-3). While Kentucky was unranked for the bowl matchup, it was still considered a bit of a confidence boost for the Nittany Lions heading into the 2000 season.
Penn State opened the 2000 season with high expectations with a No. 3 AP Top 25 preseason ranking, and the Nittany Lions climbed to No. 2 for the majority of the regular season after thumping No. 4 Arizona in the Pigskin Classic to open the season at home. The 2000 season crumbled with a three-game losing streak to end the regular season, starting with a stunning loss to Minnesota, followed by losses to Michigan and Michigan State to close out the regular season before ending the year with a shutout of Texas A&M in the Alamo Bowl.
Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford has a chance to be a top-three all-time passer at Penn State in 2021.
Penn State is hardly the first school you may think of when it comes to passing offenses, but the Nittany Lions have had some tremendous players at the wide receiver and quarterback positions over the years. And in more recent years, college football’s evolution to more of a passing game has started to rewrite the Penn State record book when it comes to all-time career passing leaders.
Entering the 2021 season, Sean Clifford is primed to easily make his way into the top 10 on Penn State’s all-time passing list, and he could move into the top three on Penn State’s all-time list, just behind the two quarterbacks who started before him.
Trace McSorley remains the school’s all-time leading passer, having the benefit of three years as a starter in an offensive system that was at the height of its game at the time.
Here is a look at Penn State’s top 20 all-time leading passers, including Clifford’s pursuit of moving up the board this fall.
