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turnover in personnel and the arrival of a new offensive coordinator, the Nittany Lions gave the impression during their brief public appearances of being very much a work in progress. "Obviously, there are a lot of things we've got to get cleaned up," Franklin said after the first of the two open sessions. "But being back in the stadium was a real positive for us." How positive? Enough that Franklin said after the second open session that there's been some talk about opening up additional practices in the years to come. The April 23 session was played in 60 degree temperatures and made for a pleasant Friday night for the soon-to-be alumni who showed up to watch the team conclude its off-season drills. "It was really good having the fans out there," Franklin said. "It's something we've talked about possibly doing mov- ing forward. A Friday night practice with some fan capacity, under normal cir- cumstances, would be great, in addition to our normal spring game." Franklin said after the second session that he was pleased overall with the team's progress this spring, noting that the Nittany Lions had stayed relatively healthy, had gotten a lot done schemati- cally as they worked to install a revised offense and were able to prioritize their Now that he's had a chance to work extensively with quarterback Sean Cli8ord, new Penn State o8ensive co- ordinator Mike Yurcich has a simple assessment of where the two-year starter can improve: It's the little things. "Where he can improve the most is probably just the progressions and an- ticipation," Yurcich said. "There are a lot of new [concepts] on his plate right now, and it's one of those things where you don't know until you actually get thrown in there and have to feel it. He's just got to get his eyes where they need to be more consis- tently on every play." Yurcich called it "a matter of time" before that happens, basing his faith in Cli8ord on the signal-caller's work ethic and intelligence. Cli8ord, who declined when asked to o8er his own evaluation of his per- formance this spring, said he derives the most satisfaction from the day-to- day improvements he's still striving to make as the Nittany Lions head into the summer months. "I can't control what happens on game day against Wisconsin right now," he said. "That's not in my con- trol. But at the same time, I can con- trol what I do tomorrow, what 7lm I watch, what I do with my body." Cli8ord's showing at Beaver Sta- dium on April 17 could be categorized as uneven. He threw a 45-yard touch- down pass to a wide-open Brenton Strange, which served as the high- light, and he found Cam Sullivan- Brown for a nice 37-yard gain. But he also threw an interception to Kalen King in the end zone – one of two on the a9ernoon for the true freshman cornerback, who also took advantage of an o8-target throw by Ta'Quan Roberson. Turnovers were a recurring problem for Cli8ord and the Penn State o8ense as a whole last season. He threw nine interceptions in nine games in 2020 a9er throwing seven picks in 12 games the season before. "On that one, that was my read," Cli8ord said. "I stepped up into the pocket. We didn't pick up the blitz correctly – but that's something we can correct. For me, I've just got to pack the rock and go ahead and take it down. I've got my eyes there and I thought I had a shot to put it up, but I le9 it a little short and [King] had a play on the ball over our guy. "You've just got to make judgment calls every once in a while. You've got to 7gure out which ones you want to take and which ones you don't, and I shouldn't have taken that one. But it was a great play by him." Yurcich and head coach James Franklin both praised Cli8ord for his attitude this spring. Noting that Clif- ford "prepares like a pro," Yurcich said he values the emotion and intensity that the veteran quarterback brings to Penn State's o8ense. He hopes that Cli8ord's experience will play a factor, too, moving into the upcoming season. "These guys who are experienced guys, they have a poise about them," Yurcich said. "They don't get rattled, so that's what you expect. It's some- thing that you have to continue to work on, and consistency and the abil- ity to anticipate and play tough, be the toughest guy on the 7eld." When asked about Cli8ord's consis- tency purely as a thrower, though, Yurcich said he didn't want to o8er an evaluation because "we're not where we need to be." "We're going to continue to work every day, that's the biggest thing," Yurcich said. "Where can I help him improve? How can I coach him better? How can I get through to him faster to where we're making zero mistakes and he's on point? "We're chasing that perfect game." ■ Yurcich seeks consistency as Clifford adapts to new offense YURCICH |

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