Blue White Illustrated

A T T H E 2 0 2 0 N I T T A N Y L I O N S plan, Tommy Stevens would have just wrapped up his one and only season as the Nittany Lions' starter, and the stage would be set for a battle between Clifford and Levis for the first-team spot this coming off-season. But things did not go to plan. Stevens transferred to Mississippi State last summer, and Clifford received an abrupt promotion to the starting lineup. That unexpected change ended up working out pretty well for the Nittany Lions this past season, as they won 11 games, with Clifford starting all but the regular-season finale against Rutgers. But the real payoff may come in 2020, as the Lions appear to have one of the better quarterback situations in the Big Ten now that the 6-foot-2, 216-pounder has got- ten a season's worth of experience under his belt. Clifford finished seventh in the Big Ten in passing (221.2 yards per game) and fourth in total offense (254.7 ypg). He completed 59.2 percent of his at- tempts for 2,654 yards, with 23 touchdowns and seven intercep- tions. He also finished third on the team in rushing with 402 yards on 116 carries. The latter performance put to rest a lot of the preseason concerns about whether he would be able to handle the amount of running that Penn State's offense re- quires. Levis played in seven games, complet- ing 28 of 47 passes for 223 yards and two touchdowns. Forced into action in the second half of the Ohio State game after Clifford was injured, the redshirt fresh- man showed tremendous composure, leading the Lions to 17 points to throw a scare into the previously untouchable Buckeyes. But when called on to start TWO FOR THE SHOW Bothered by late-season injuries, Clifford and Cain both returned to action in the Cotton Bowl and helped lift the Lions to victory. Photo by Steve Manuel EDITOR'S NOTE Newcomers listed here include only incoming Class of 2020 re- cruits. Members of Penn State's 2019 re- cruiting class who redshirted last season are listed among the key returnees.

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