QB Sean Clifford, Penn State dominate Idaho 79-7 in season opener
Penn State may have played an FCS team Saturday, but it was difficult to find much fault in the Nittany Lions’ dominating 79-7 victory over Idaho — the highest-scoring PSU game since 1991.
Quarterback Sean Clifford made his first career start by completing 14-of-23 passes for 280 yards and two touchdowns, despite the starters getting pulled in the third quarter. (He also rushed seven times for 57 yards.) Five different running backs scored touchdowns. The defense allowed a single first down in the first half. And the defensive line alone amassed five sacks — by halftime.
It was the most points scored by Penn State since an 81-0 thumping of Cincinnati on Sept. 7, 1991.
Saturday’s lopsided victory was clearly a solid way to start the season for Penn State (1-0), which paid the Vandals (0-1) $1.45M to make the trip.
Players of the game
WR KJ Hamler and DE Yetur Gross-Matos: We know, we know. Plenty of people would pick Clifford here, and we don’t blame them. But Hamler accounted for 159 all-purpose yards, caught both of Clifford’s TD passes and had fans holding their breath with every touch.
Clifford threw to him four times, and Hamler caught four passes. That’s a pretty nice percentage. Overall, Hamler finished with 115 receiving yards, 16 rushing yards and 28 return yards. He’s nicknamed “The Human Joystick” for a reason, and Saturday was only the beginning.
On defense, even with the constant rotations, there was no denying Gross-Matos’ dominance. He finished with 2.5 sacks. Do we really need to say more?
Key stat
18: That’s the number of defensive players who recorded a tackle in the first half. Pretty impressive considering Idaho managed just a single first down during that same stretch — but it spoke to the unit’s talent and depth. The Nittany Lions weren’t afraid to play different groups of players on defense, or offense, and it was difficult to notice any kind of let-up no matter what personnel were on the field.
Play of the game
Clifford’s 36-yard TD strike to KJ Hamler: There were so many offensive highlights to choose from. (And we’ll get to another one a little later.) But it’s hard to overlook Clifford’s first passing touchdown of the season.
Early in the second quarter, with Penn State already up 20-0, Clifford stepped up in the pocket to avoid some inside pressure. He could’ve easily dumped the ball off to an open Devyn Ford — but instead avoided a near-sack from the left end and fired a long completion straight into the arms of a streaking Hamler.
That put Penn State up 27-0, and it gave fans a glimpse of Clifford’s big-play ability.
Most memorable debut
RB Devyn Ford: Our apologies to State College’s own Keaton Ellis, who saw time early on and didn’t appear to allow a single completion. But there’s no denying how many heads Ford turned in his first career game.
He arrived over the summer and was considered by many to be the No. 4 running back entering this season. But, on his second career rushing attempt, the true freshman found a seam and sprinted for an 81-yard TD run — the longest PSU scamper since Saquon Barkley’s 92-yard rush in the 2017 Fiesta Bowl.
Unsung hero
WR Justin Shorter: Remember that 81-yard Ford TD run we just mentioned? Well, Shorter played a critical role there. He was around the middle of the field when he started sprinting to the sideline to help block for Ford. At the 28-yard line, Shorter blocked the would-be tackler parallel to the sideline to give Ford just enough room to escape for the TD.
Without Shorter’s effort, Ford’s run still would’ve been a good one — but it wouldn’t have been a score. Also, Shorter finished with three catches for 36 yards.
Up next
Vs. Buffalo: The Penn State preseason ... err ... nonconference slate continues next week with a 7:30 p.m. kickoff against Buffalo at Beaver Stadium. The Bulls beat FCS Robert Morris 38-10 Thursday, but they’ll be a multiple-TD underdog against Penn State.
This Bulls team lost virtually all of their best players over the offseason, and it’s a rebuilding year. Expect Penn State to tear down this team, much like it did the Vandals.
This story was originally published August 31, 2019 at 6:57 PM.
