How Sean Clifford played the game of his life and left Penn State a Rose Bowl champion
Sean Clifford stood on the sideline as the clock wound down on Penn State’s 35-21 win over Utah in the Rose Bowl, with tears filling his eyes and his face turning red.
Clifford has seen the ups and the downs of the life of a college quarterback — especially one who started for four seasons at a program like Penn State.
But in that moment, and the ones that ensued, all of the criticisms he received, the doubt that people had in his ability and the questions about who should start at quarterback for the program, vanished. The emotion of his career coming to an end in this fashion took over, with the tears billowing out amid the laughs and smile he shared with his teammates.
He was going to win the Rose Bowl. And this was not a win that he was ancillary to. This was a win that he caused.
Clifford, on the largest stage of his career and in the biggest moment, had the game of his life.
And when he was removed from the game to receive a standing ovation, he was able to share a moment with his brother Liam, a redshirt freshman wide receiver who was on the field.
What did they say?
“I love you,” Liam told the Centre Daily Times with a smile. “That’s it.”
Liam, more than anyone, was able to feel the turbulence his brother did. He saw the criticisms from the outside, the questioning of Sean’s place as starter and everything else.
He saw him dial in and focus, allowing him to hone in from one moment to the next.
Because those highs and lows never changed anything. It was always about what they were experiencing as teammates and brothers.
“It’s a dream come true,” Liam told the CDT. “... The criticism doesn’t change anything. It’s just the fact that we get to share the moments together. And going out on a high note together and winning the Rose Bowl is pretty cool and something I’ll never forget.”
Monday evening, there weren’t many criticisms to lob. You can nitpick any performance, but Clifford was nearly as good as it gets against the Utes. He completed 16 of his 21 passing attempts for 279 yards and two touchdowns. He dropped deep balls in the bucket to break open the game. He fired in passes over the middle before defenders could get within reach. He took care of the ball.
He did everything you would want a quarterback to do against a defense as good as Utah’s and then some — winning the game’s offensive MVP award.
Clifford did not want to take credit for what he accomplished in the game. As he has many times before, he deferred to his teammates for helping put him in a position to succeed.
“It means a lot just to be in this position,” he said. “I just think back to all the different teams that I’ve been a part of, and quarterback is a funny position because it gets all the recognition, but I depend on 10 other guys to get the job done constantly. If one guy messes up, including me, the whole play on offense is kind of wrecked. I just respect, love and appreciate every single man that has came through Penn State’s program and impacted me in whatever way, whether that be coaches, administration, staff, and especially my teammates.”
During the Rose Bowl, those teammates took advantage of the situations their quarterback put them in. They made plays themselves, but many of them were not possible had Clifford not placed passes perfectly.
Tight end Theo Johnson was one of those beneficiaries. Johnson only had one catch for 28 yards but it was a drive-extending first down on a rope of a throw by Clifford into the middle of the field, hitting him in stride.
The tight end has seen many of the highs and lows of Clifford’s last few seasons, and was happy to see him go out with one of the best games of his career.
“I’m so proud of him,” Johnson said. “I’ve seen myself the ups and the downs and the trials he had to go through and a lot of stuff the normal person doesn’t see. When you’re in the locker room, you see a lot of it. Just seeing what he’s battled through, like everything, for him to go out this way and for us to get a Rose Bowl win and him get the MVP, you couldn’t write it up any better. I’m just so proud of him.”
Clifford won’t play for Penn State again. He will move on, and so will the program.
Maybe he will carve out a career in the NFL, or maybe he will move on to his post-football life — Penn State head coach James Franklin said he thinks he’ll have a lot of success in business.
Whatever he decides to do, he will always have Monday evening — where he stood on the field in a Penn State uniform for one final time, tears in his eyes, a Rose Bowl champion and offensive MVP.
