Blue White Illustrated

O F F - S E A S O N R E P O R T O n March 12, amidst a wave of cancellations and postpone- ments that swept away nearly the entire international sports calendar, Penn State abruptly suspended its football operations due to the COVID- 19 outbreak. No spring practice. No Blue-White Game. No organized, in- person football activities of any kind. Although the athletic department's initial plan was to reassess the situa- tion on April 3, the crisis throughout the United States only intensified in the weeks that followed the discontin- uation of all spring sports, and that day came and went with no indication that Penn State's football operations would resume in the foreseeable fu- ture. If these were ordinary times, we would all be looking back on what had been accomplished during spring STATUS REPORT | With so much uncertainty surrounding the 2020 season, the Lions are preparing for a number of contingencies. Here's a look at how they're shaping up you're in that same situation. That's one of the common denominators of all elite quarterbacks. They're able to learn from their experiences and then be able to apply them the next time they're in that type of situation. That's the dif- ference between being good and great." Clifford intends to do exactly that next season. But first, he'll have to push past one of the un- intended consequences of his ferocious appetite for work. He admitted that he was often jit- tery at the start of games last year. Those inconsistent first- quarter performances weren't completely surprising to Avery and have become a point of emphasis this off-season. "We do so much work, and you work so hard to be great that the moment is more stressful than fun when you get to it," Avery said. "So just trying to put things in perspective for him is something that we're trying to do this off-season, because he's as talented as anybody. But let's make it so that everybody can see that you're enjoying yourself and having fun. You do too much work not to enjoy it." Clifford realized early in his Penn State career what it would take to achieve suc- cess, crediting those epiphanies to head coach James Franklin and former team- mate Saquon Barkley. Both told him that improved athleticism would help him un- lock his potential. Clifford listened. "I think honestly, it's worked out in my best interest, because it kind of goes with who I am. I need to do the extra work that other guys don't," he said. "I need to focus on my rehab, or running form, or anything that other guys might not need to focus on as much because, in the be- ginning, I wasn't as athletic as everybody. But now, I think that after working on it – I changed my diet, I changed my lifestyle when it comes to eating and sleeping, a lot of different things – it has definitely benefited me on the field." Unlikely to slow down in his pursuit of improvement, regardless of the pan- demic's duration, Clifford anticipates that his efforts will continue to pay off. ■ HEAVY METAL Franklin looks on as the Nit- tany Lions take part in a weight train- ing session during winter workouts. Photo by Nate Bauer

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