Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1115425
P E N N S T A T E F O O T B A L L >> scenario in which Clifford isn't in charge of the offense when it takes the field against Idaho on Aug. 31. He may have only seven career passing attempts to date, but that's seven more than the combined total amassed by the team's other four scholarship quarterbacks, all of whom will have freshman eligibility in 2019. With Stevens gone, the Lions have arguably the youngest quarterback contin- gent in the Big Ten and one of the youngest anywhere in college football. Within the conference, the only other se- rious contender for that title is Illinois, where true fresh- man Isaiah Williams may be the leading candidate for the Illini's starting position from the moment he arrives in Champaign this summer. The Big Ten's other 12 teams either have a re- turning starter (Michigan, Michigan State, Iowa, Nebraska, Indiana), a trans- fer from another Power Five school (Ohio State, Maryland, Northwestern), a young player who's got some starting experi- ence under his belt (Rutgers, Wisconsin, Minnesota) or a veteran backup who's been waiting for his chance (Purdue). This is not an advan- tageous situation for a Penn State team that must get past the likes of Ohio State, Michigan and Michi- gan State to achieve its most ambitious goals this fall. But if you look beyond the upcoming season, it could end up being a positive development. The key will be for all concerned to exhibit a quality that doesn't come naturally to anyone who plays or watches college sports: pa- tience. Given Penn State's rampant youth on offense, the 2019 season has the mak- ings of a rebuilding year – or a reloading year, if you prefer. Nobody ever wants to acknowledge that ahead of time, and it might seem especially premature this year, considering that the first half of the schedule is loaded with games against the likes of Idaho, Buffalo and PREGAME PITCHES Stevens takes part in warm-ups prior to the Blue-White Game. The senior quarterback dressed for the game but did not see action in what would turn out to be his final ap- pearance in Beaver Stadium. Photo by Steve Manuel