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P E N N S T A T E F O O T B A L L >> t had been a while since he was the starting quarterback in a game that mattered, so maybe it wasn't so sur- prising that Sean Clifford had a case of the yips when Penn State opened its sea- son against Idaho last month. How long is a while? "Probably my state championship," Clif- ford said. "Honestly, last year, since there were usually a lot of points on the board when I came in, I wasn't that nervous. So probably high school was the last time." Clifford's final high school game was in December 2016, and it capped a mar- velous run. The Cincinnati native had been slowed by injuries all season, first a sprained foot, then a torn ham- string. He missed four of St. Xavier High's 10 games en- tirely, but the Bombers managed to sneak into the OHSAA Division I playoffs with a 5-5 record, and that's when everything changed. Returning to action, Clifford led St. Xavier to three victories and a spot in the state title game. Their opponent in that game, St. Ignatius High of Cleveland, was going for its 12th state championship. The Wildcats held a 10-point lead in the sec- ond half, but Clifford, who had commit- ted to Penn State months earlier, helped St. Xavier take the game to overtime, then he threw a 7-yard touchdown pass in the second OT period for a 27-20 victory. Everything about St. Xavier's win was improbable, including Clifford's perform- ance; he had suffered a shoulder injury early in the second quarter that would later require surgery but had still managed to engineer a comeback against an Ohio high school football dynasty. As Bombers coach Steve Specht told Cleveland.com afterward, "It's been an unbelievable year. I'm just kind of stumped right now." But after displaying his brinksmanship in just about the most dramatic way pos- sible, Clifford assumed a much lower pro- file. Playing behind Trace McSorley and Tommy Stevens at Penn State, he was in the dues-paying phase of his career during his first year on campus, and even after be- coming McSorley's de facto backup last year when Stevens was injured, he played in just four games, only one of which – the Citrus Bowl – was still competitive when he stepped onto the field. So when Clifford faced Idaho in his first game as the team's starter a few weeks ago, the adrenaline was flowing. It showed. The Nittany Lions' first drive stalled when a bobbled snap on third-and-goal cost them 8 yards. On their second drive, Clifford missed an open Pat Freiermuth on what would likely have been a touchdown. Two subsequent plays went nowhere, and the Lions were forced to settle for their second field goal of the day. On the sideline, Clif- ford's teammates could tell he was a little too amped up. "Calm down," K.J. Hamler told him. "Just get all the jitters out. That was your first drive, you're fine." Clifford, it turned out, was fine. Better than fine, actually. After completing just one of his first four passing attempts as Penn State's starting quarterback, he hit 13 of his next 19 and finished with 280 yards passing and two touchdowns. He was also the Lions' second-leading rusher with 57 yards. Said Hamler, "He went on a little rampage" after starting off slowly. "I think he just needed to get in the groove of things." The 6-foot-2, 216-pound Clifford went on to have a big night against Buffalo, throwing for 279 yards and four touch- downs and rushing for 51 yards in a 45-13 romp. Against Pitt in week three, he ab- sorbed more than his share of punish- ment from a high-pressure Panthers defensive front but still threw for 222 yards in a 17-10 victory. But now comes the Big Ten season, and the Nittany Lions need more than ever for Clifford to stay in his groove. Is he ready for a series of opponents that will test him more than the nonconference foes did? HEAT OF THE MOMENT Sean Clifford had been waiting for his chance to run Penn State's offense. Now that it's arrived, the redshirt sophomore quarterback is eager to build on the success he enjoyed as an Ohio high school star | I ON THE MOVE Clifford threw for 280 yards and ran for an additional 57 in his first game as the Nittany Lions' starting quarterback. Photo by Steve Manuel C O V E R S T O R Y

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