Penn State QB Sean Clifford is poised to take the next step in this offense. Here’s how
Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford knows he’s capable of more — so he rarely left the film room the past two weeks.
The redshirt sophomore charted each of his 31 incompletions the first three games, tracking why each of those throws was missed. He looked at all the red-zone and third-down film, broke down practice tape and refused to stop watching until a pattern emerged.
The verdict: No. 1, his footwork was off. No. 2, his deep-ball accuracy needed to be better.
“It’s not always you miss a throw because of your arm,” Clifford said earlier this week. “A lot of times you miss a throw because you’re off-balance or you stepped too wide or too narrow. And it’s little things like that that makes good players into great players, knowing the little details of each play and executing at a high level.”
The first-year starter hasn’t yet approached greatness, but he’s not off to a bad start. So far this season, he’s completing 58.7 percent of his passes for 781 yards, six touchdowns and no interceptions. He’s third in the Big Ten in passer rating (172.5).
By comparison, Trace McSorley started off 2018 with a lower completion rate (51.7 percent), fewer yards (603), fewer touchdowns (5) and one more interception through three games. That doesn’t tell the full story of the two QBs but, for all of Clifford’s overthrows and indecisiveness, his potential has been difficult to overlook.
Maryland head coach Mike Locksley — who’ll face Clifford’s Nittany Lions at 8 p.m. Friday (on FS1) — already offered high-praise for the young signal-caller.
“It all starts with the quarterback, Clifford,” Locksley said. “He’s a guy that can beat you with his arm and his legs. He’s made plays where I’ve seen him run away from defenses as a ball-carrier but also has thrown the ball really well.”
Against Idaho, during a second-quarter play, Clifford shook off pressure, kept his eyes downfield and launched a 36-yard touchdown pass to a streaking KJ Hamler. In the next game, he sprinted down the left sideline for a 58-yard rush — longer than McSorley’s career best of 51 yards.
There’s a lot to like about Clifford. But, well, he knows there’s a lot to clean up, too.
“I think there are a lot of areas I can improve in,” Clifford said. “And I’m going to be saying that until I leave Penn State, honestly.”
Added tight end Pat Freiermuth: “He’s never satisfied with where he’s at, and he’s always going to try to get better. But, right now, hes’ exactly where he needs to be for us to have success.”
Clifford’s bye week really began on the evening of Sept. 14, shortly after the 17-10 win over Pitt. He watched the game later that night just to familiarize himself, before waking up the next morning and breaking down the tape. He made a list of issues to bring up with teammates and what to discuss with offensive coordinator Ricky Rahne and head coach James Franklin.
From there, he decided to look at his short season to that point. Sometimes, he overthrew receivers; sometimes underthrew. He wanted a reason for every missed throw so he knew what to change for the next time. “A lot of things went into this bye week,” Clifford added. “And I think myself and this offense, and this team as whole, is a lot better. We’re excited for this week.”
On paper, this won’t be an easy matchup for Clifford. The Terps rank No. 6 nationally in sacks (4.33 per game), and they’ve limited each of their opponents to a QBR of 51.0 or less.
But Clifford identified his problem areas, and he set about fixing them the past two weeks. Even elite players make mistakes — but they learn from them and improve. And they’re never satisfied.
“I don’t think there’s going to be a time in my career where I’m happy with where I’m at,” Clifford said.
“But I think I’m closer to being the quarterback that I’d like to be.”
This story was originally published September 26, 2019 at 7:57 PM.
