Tag: Sean Clifford

Penn State QB Sean Clifford proud with how he handled being benched in 2020

Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford reflected on how he handled being benched during the 2020 season.

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.

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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What QBs in the transfer portal could be Penn State targets?

Locked On Nittany Lions: Penn State offense will be theme of spring football this week

Expect plenty of discussion about the progress of the Penn State offense this week during spring practices.

Penn State opens another week of spring football practices this week, and the offense figures to be the main talking point in the ongoing coverage. Penn State will put some key offensive players in front of webcams for Zoom conference calls this week as questions about the offense will be addressed.

Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford will be one of the first players to get to meet with the media this week (he is scheduled for a Monday conference call). While there won’t be questions about his status since he will be entering his third season as the starter, Clifford will likely be asked about working with new offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich and how the transition is going for him.

What new things is Clifford working on with his new quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator (Yurcich serves both roles), and what is he seeing from his potential backups? Is Clifford even bothering to think about the possibility of Penn State heading to the transfer portal to add another quarterback to the depth chart?

Wide receiver Jahan Dotson will also be scheduled to meet with the media on Monday, and wide receivers coach Dana Stubblefield is scheduled for a Wednesday conference call, as is head coach James Franklin. Dotson will also likely be asked about what he is seeing from some of the other receivers on the team.

Wide receiver may not be quite the same looming concern it was heading into the 2020 season, but there is still some question about whether or not it will be a position that can be relied on regularly, outside of Dotson.

Also discussed in this episode is the reaction of Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin to Penn State’s pro day and what a Zach Snyder cut of Penn State football might have looked like given the reception to the recent release of the Snyder cut of “Justice League.”

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What QBs in the transfer portal could be Penn State targets?

Michigan State vs. Penn State: Spartans choke lead, lose 39-24

Michigan State had the lead for the early portions of the game, but could not hold on to it as the Nittany Lions came back to win 39-24.

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It was a tale of two halves for the Spartans today. Michigan State had the lead for the early portions of the game, but could not hold on to it as the Nittany Lions came back to win 39-24. The Spartans looked like a good team in first half and a horrific team in the second half. Payton Thorne got the start at quarterback today, after Rocky Lombardi’s injury last week.

Thorne struggled in his first drive as the starter as he threw an interception. He was given another chance as they fumbled the interception on the return and got the ball back. He didn’t do much with it as they went three-and-out.

Penn State marched down the field on their first drive and seemed to have a rushing touchdown, but was called back after a holding call. The Nittany Lions stalled out and had to settle for a field goal.

Both teams exchanged punts which led into the second quarter. The Spartans began their fourth drive of the game with two rushes by true freshman Jordan Simmons. Thorne capped off the drive with a 45-yard play-action touchdown pass to Jalen Nailor for 45 yards.

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Penn State answered right back with a 31-yard rushing touchdown from Sean Clifford. That wouldn’t faze Thorne though, as the Spartans had a nice drive that ended with a 26-yard passing touchdown to Tre’Von Morgan.

The Spartans defense held strong and got the ball back with a little over three minutes left in the half. Thorne picked his way through the defense and was able to find Jalen Nailor again for a 7-yard touchdown. The Spartans would head into the half with a 21-10 lead.

Penn State got the ball to begin the second half and had their way with the defense that resulted in a Parker Washington 8-yard touchdown from Clifford. Penn State went for two and got it on a pass to Jahan Dotson.

The Spartans were able to get the ball downfield, but could not punch it in from the red zone and settled for a field goal from Matt Coghlin to make it 24-18.

The Nittany Lions stormed down the field and capitalized with a Will Levis 1-yard rushing touchdown and took the lead 25-24.

The Spartans went three-and-out and the Nittany Lions immediately made them pay for it as they scored again on a 49-yard touchdown to Washington to make it 32-24.

The Spartans continued the offensive woes and punted the ball right back to Penn State which was returned 81-yards by Jahan Dotson to make the score 39-24.

Fast forward to about two minutes left in the game, the Spartans make a fourth-down stop to get the ball back. Thorne leads an emphatic and trying drive to the red zone. Unfortunately, it ended with an incomplete pass on fourth down to effectively end the game.

Thorne finished the game with 22/39 passing for 325 passing yards and three touchdowns. He also threw an interception.

Jordan Simmons led the way in the backfield with 14 carries for 72 yards.

Jalen Nailor had the bulk of the receptions for the Spartans and finished with six receptions for 100 yards and two touchdowns.

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5 players to watch: Michigan football vs. Penn State

Michigan football attempts to start a winning streak as it takes on a winless Penn State team. What players should you watch closely?

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Despite losing three games in a row, Michigan football finally got a victory last week as it defeated Rutgers in triple-overtime 48-42. With a 2-3 record, the Wolverines still have a chance to end its season with a record above .500 with four games left in the season. Michigan’s next opponent is its easiest one so far, against a winless Penn State Nittany Lions team.

Penn State is struggling like the Wolverines are, but it’s more extreme as the Nittany Lions haven’t been able to win a game this season, and they haven’t been playing the top teams all season long — save for Big Ten Week 2. Penn State started with a heartbreaking loss in overtime to Indiana and then took on Ohio State on the road. Its next three losses came to unexpected teams, Maryland, Nebraska, and Iowa. Penn State now will look to capture its first win of the year against a Michigan team that is not up to its standards.

Both teams look at this week’s game as a big moment for programs. For Penn State, can it finally capture its first win of the year? Is it able to take down Michigan in back-to-back seasons? For Michigan, can it obliterate a team it has no excuse to lose against? Could this win spark a late-season push?

Those questions and more will be answered on Saturday, but some players might need an extra set of eyes to watch out for when it comes to the action on the field. From two quarterbacks in the middle of controversy to an NFL ready player looking to build his resume for the draft, check out which five players you should pay attention to below.

Five keys to Ohio State beating Penn State

Ohio State and Penn State are set to do battle Saturday night. We bring you five keys to a Buckeye victory on the road in Happy Valley.

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Ohio State playing rival Penn State this weekend was supposed to be a matchup between two top 10 teams. With Penn State losing against Indiana last weekend, that isn’t happening, but it’s still a huge game. These two have played multiple one-possession games over the last few seasons, and there are always a few keys to which side comes out the victor.

Generally, playing in Happy Valley at night in whiteout conditions enters the fray, but that won’t be the case this year because of the COVID-19 restrictions implemented by the Big Ten on fan attendance. Still, there are plenty of other things to digest for this game.

As we do every week, here are five keys to Ohio State walking away from Beaver Stadium as an undefeated team.

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NEXT … Shaun Wade comes to play

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Three reasons Penn State could cause problems for Ohio State

Ohio State has to be focused when they play Penn State this weekend. Here are 3 reasons Penn State could cause problems for the Buckeyes.

The Ohio State Buckeyes roll into Happy Valley riding a huge win while the Penn State Nittany Lions are licking their wounds after dropping their first game to Indiana. By all accounts, the Buckeyes should win this game, but in a “rivalry” game, anything can happen. OSU cannot afford to get too comfortable as Penn State can present some challenges with the talent on the roster.

I do believe Ohio State has a better overall team, but that does not mean Penn State is a bad football team. This game was projected to be a battle between to top 10 teams, and while that isn’t happening, that doesn’t mean it won’t feel or look like it — or eventually be. If the Nittany Lions can keep it close, they could cause problems. Here are three reasons why.

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Sean Clifford has a bounce-back game

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Ohio State vs. Penn State 2020 Football Preview And Prediction

Ohio State travels to Happy Valley to face the Nittany Lions for a prime time matchup on Halloween night. Here’s your preview and prediction.

Record

Ohio State (1-0), Penn State (0-1)

Broadcast, TV, Game Time

Date: Saturday, Oct. 31
Game Time: 7:30 pm EDT
Network: ABC
Venue: Beaver Stadium – Capacity – 106,572 (no fans permitted due to COVID-19 restrictions)
All-Time Series: Ohio State leads 20-14
Last Meeting: Ohio State defeated Penn State 28-17 in 2019

After a somewhat slow start, Ohio State took care of Nebraska the way we  thought they would. There is definitely work to do, especially on the offensive and defensive lines, but, overall, the Buckeyes looked as good as advertised.

A trip to Happy Valley looms this week, although the Nittany Lions don’t seem quite as fierce after a loss to Indiana and the absence of the vaunted “white out” crowd. Nonetheless, these two programs have slugged it out over the past several years and nothing can be taken for granted.

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Next … The game plan

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Previewing Penn State QB Sean Clifford, who could take a Joe Burrow type of leap in 2020

Sean Clifford has a chance to show us just how high his ceiling is in 2020 — and draws some comparisons to Joe Burrow.

Hardly any other player in college football impressed with the progress they had made between 2018 and 2019 quite like former LSU quarterback Joe Burrow, who has posted several solid performances for the Cincinnati Bengals on his rookie year.

SEC quarterback play has been up-and-down for the better part of the 2020 season thus far with a handful of standouts impressing within the conference, and we’ll get a chance to see some other signal-callers make their debut for the year in less than a week.

One of those in Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford, who makes a decent case for himself in making quite the jump in 2020. Of course, it’s difficult to parallel what Burrow did last year.

He’s in the history books for a reason, and he had the coaching staff and supporting cast to help pave the way to his storybook year.

Clifford has several pieces in place to get the job done and give a strong idea of where his ceiling lies this season as the Nittany Lions open competition against the Indiana Hoosiers on Saturday.

Photo credits: USA TODAY SPORTS – Johnathan Jones, Matthew OHaren, Jesse Johnson, Tim Heitman.

Ohio State vs. Penn State: 3 reasons the Nittany Lions could give the Buckeyes problems

Ohio State is all set to play the most talented team it has to date. Here’s three reasons Penn State could create problems on Saturday.

And. Here. We. Go.

Penn State invades the ‘Shoe to try and pull off an upset over an Ohio State team that has looked about as dominant and complete as anyone in the country. It has a top ranked defense and offense, and has shown little signs of slowing down.

The Buckeyes are favored by as many as 18 points by some of the oddsmakers, but if there’s been any team that has provided some resistance to the flag-bearer of the Big Ten, it’s these Nittany Lions.

Despite losing quarterback Trace McSorely and other key parts to graduation last year, Penn State still comes in with just one loss, a top ten ranking, and intentions on ruining Ohio State’s chances at another Big Ten East Division crown, and shot at a third-straight conference title.

Here’s three reasons, the Nittany Lions could give the Buckeyes some fits on Saturday.

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Next … The run defense?

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Ohio State vs. Penn State Enemy Territory preview. Get to know the Nittany Lions

Ohio State is set to do battle with a top ten Nittany Lion squad. We’ve got all you need to know about Penn State.

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Before every game, we provide a preview of Ohio State football’s opponent for the upcoming week. It’s a twelve game slate to the regular season, so there’s plenty to talk about, and plenty of opponents to get up to speed on.

Of course, some you’ll know better than others.

So, if you want to impress your friends while watching the game, we’ve got your cheat code right here. We do the research, you drop nuggets. You win on Saturdays. It’s as simple as that.

Ohio State’s eleventh game of the year is against a Nittany Lion team that’s still looking to do some pretty big things in 2019. It still controls its own destiny towards an East Division crown and Big Ten title, but it absolutely has to win Saturday in the ‘Shoe.

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Next … Penn State all-time vitals

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