Why Sean Clifford’s Penn State teammates trust their QB will bounce back against Indiana
Sean Clifford’s teammates wanted to make two things clear this week: Confidence in their starting quarterback has not wavered in the slightest, and Clifford has bounced back from last Saturday’s loss.
Clifford, who was not made available to the media this week, took Penn State’s 31-26 loss hard. He grimaced throughout his time Saturday in the Minneapolis media room, and teammates said they needed to stress to him that the first blemish of the season didn’t fall on his shoulders.
But, they were quick to add, the Nittany Lions’ QB1 came back ready to work. And he’s now focused on Indiana, which he’ll take on at noon Saturday in Beaver Stadium — and not Minnesota.
“Sean is a warrior. He got back to work Sunday, and he’s ready to get back to work (Tuesday) at practice,” defensive tackle PJ Mustipher said earlier Tuesday. “So Sean’s my leader — he’s our team leader — and he’s our quarterback. So we’re going to ride with him through thick and thin.”
Saturday’s loss to Minnesota, and how Clifford responds, is the first true test of adversity for the quarterback, a redshirt sophomore in his first year as a starter. He tossed a season-high three interceptions against the Golden Gophers — including a game-sealing pick on the final drive — and his usual, smiling personae was replaced Saturday by a frowning quarterback who put the blame for the loss on himself.
The upset loss was the first for Clifford as a college starter. Before that, he hadn’t lost as a starting QB since Oct. 14, 2016 — his senior year of high school — in a 19-18 defeat to Warren Central. He didn’t commit a turnover in that game.
“His greatest strength can also be his greatest weakness,” James Franklin said earlier this week. “He cares so much that he’s got to funnel that energy the right way. Sometimes, he’s maybe too amped up. Probably could take a deep breath and be a little more poised. That’s because he cares so much. He cares so much.”
Clifford has a reputation for putting a lot on his shoulders, which in part is what makes him so beloved by teammates. He committed to Penn State in the summer of 2015, becoming the first pledge in his class, precisely so he could take a leadership role and help shape that class. Wideout KJ Hamler has often said Clifford convinced him to leave the state of Michigan for Happy Valley.
And, in an often-repeated story this past April, Clifford stood up in front of the team shortly after the transfer of what many assumed at the time might be the eventual starter in Tommy Stevens. Clifford promised his teammates, “There will be no drop-off in the quarterback position.”
And, really, outside of his first career loss, there hasn’t been. He was off to a much stronger start than all-time great Trace McSorley in their first eight career starts. Clifford had a better completion rate (62 percent to 55 percent), more passing yards (1,931 to 1,798), more passing touchdowns (20 to 12) and fewer interceptions (three to four).
“Sean’s played great the whole year,” tight end Pat Freiermuth said Wednesday. “Other than against Minnesota, he’s been very ball-secure and made very good decisions. And, even in Minnesota, he made very good decisions; it might not seem like that, but he still threw for 340 yards. So he was doing something right.”
Over the weekend, Penn State’s players said, Clifford needed a gentle reminder that the loss to Minnesota wasn’t his fault. Franklin reiterated that in the locker room Saturday, in front of the entire team, and players said Clifford rebounded by Tuesday at the absolute latest, right after the Nittany Lions’ day off.
“Everyone makes mistakes, but Sean does a great job of bouncing back, putting it in the back of his head and not worrying about it and moving on to the next play,” wideout Jahan Dotson said. “I feel like he’s done a great job so far.”
These Nittany Lions (8-1) don’t want Minnesota to beat them twice. That means Clifford, above all, needs to move on from last Saturday. And, when he’s faced smaller fits of adversity this season, he’s mostly been OK.
He was admittedly nervous in his first career start, settled down after the first two drives and then finished with 280 passing yards and a pair of scores. Against a top-25 road atmosphere in Iowa, he didn’t commit a turnover and managed the game well in a 17-12 win. And, after his first two career interceptions, he responded on the very next drives.
Against Maryland, after tossing a pick, he threw a 37-yard touchdown pass on the next possession. Against Purdue, after an interception, he led the Nittany Lions on a 58-yard drive that resulted in a 35-yard field-goal attempt (that was missed).
Clifford would be the first to admit he hasn’t been perfect. He underthrew receivers vs. Minnesota and didn’t play a great second half against Michigan State, for instance, but he’s still taken the reins of a top-10 team. And he’s quickly earned the trust of his teammates and coaching staff.
“Although people probably don’t want to admit this, he’s probably played better than anybody anticipated him coming into the year,” Franklin said. “I’m very proud of him. Very, very proud of him.”
Indiana should provide a good challenge. It’s allowed just 11 passing touchdowns in nine games, and no team has thrown for more than 300 yards against IU. It’s no Minnesota — which is ranked No. 6 nationally in defensive passing efficiency — but it’s not terribly far behind at No. 32.
Saturday is an important test for Clifford and the Nittany Lions, more so to see if this team is mentally stronger than last season when one heart-breaking loss led to another. But Clifford’s teammates aren’t about to start doubting their quarterback now.
They trust him, and they trust his mind is on Indiana, Indiana, Indiana.
“Sean’s come in with the right mindset to learn from the mistakes in the game and come to practice and figure things out,” Freiermuth said. “And he’s practiced really hard this week so far, and he hasn’t changed preparation from all year.
“So I’m expecting him to have another great game.”
This story was originally published November 14, 2019 at 6:20 PM.
