Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1420595
N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 1 11 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Although an early pick got Penn State off to a bad start at Iowa, Clifford has generally avoided the killer mistakes that marred his junior season, and his performance has allowed Penn State's playmakers to do what they do best. BEST PLAY: Penn State's biggest and best plays of the season occurred back-to-back at the end of the team's opener at Wisconsin. Facing third-and-goal from the 8-yard line late in the fourth quarter, Badgers quarterback Graham Mertz at- tempted to connect with receiver Jack Dunn for a touchdown. But redshirt sophomore cornerback Joey Porter Jr. batted the ball away easily, setting up a fourth-and-goal play to decide the game. That's when senior safety Jaquan Brisker made the game's decisive play. Leaping in front of Mertz's flailing pass toward the end zone, Brisker snatched the ball for his second career inter- ception. Although the Nittany Lions weren't able to run out the clock and had to make one final defensive stand to secure their 16-10 win, the gut-check performance kick-started their confi- dent start to the season. BEST PASS: On Penn State's first offensive play against Villanova in Week 4, Clifford went the distance, connect- ing on a 52-yard bomb to senior wide receiver Jahan Dotson for a touchdown. It was an on-the-money strike to Dot- son, who had easily blown past Wildcats cornerback Christian Benford, and their connection gave the Lions a 7-0 lead just three minutes into the first quarter. BEST RUN: Held in check for three quarters at Wisconsin, junior running back Noah Cain responded with au- thority. Pulling in Clifford's handoff early in the fourth quarter, the score tied at 7-7, Cain burst right toward the side- line and headed upfield for a 34-yard gain to move Penn State's offense into Badgers territory. The run was the first of a big fourth quarter for Cain, who got stronger down the stretch, finishing the game with 48 yards and a touchdown on eight carries to go along with five receptions for 27 yards. BEST CATCH: On an otherwise pedestrian passing night for the Nit- tany Lions against Indiana, their first touchdown completion of the game was the sharpest. With Penn State already ahead 7-0, Clifford fired an eight-yard strike to Dotson in the back of the end zone to cap a nine-play, 96-yard possession. The Lions had been backed up due to an illegal touching call leveled against redshirt sophomore tight end Brenton Strange on the previous play, but Dot- son was unfazed, stretching to pull in the dart from Clifford while tapping his left foot down in bounds. WORST DROP: With Clifford side- lined at Iowa, Penn State's early 14-point lead quickly began to look precari- ous. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Ta'Quan Roberson was seeing the first significant action of his career, mean- ing that the margin of error had shrunk to nil. So when Strange let a simple pitch- and-catch from Roberson slip through his hands on the Nittany Lions' first possession of the second half, the in- completion cost the team more than just a chance to convert a third down. It also cost them an opportunity to build the confidence they badly needed with an inexperienced quarterback working in Clifford's absence. B E S T SAC K : T e m p l e t r a n s f e r Arnold Ebiketie has had a major impact on the Nittany Lions in his first year in the program and, at Iowa, he picked an important moment to sack quarterback Spencer Petras. On third-and-goal, the senior defen- sive end swooped in from Petras' blind side to force a 34-yard Iowa field goal try. Penn State's defense turned in a gritty performance at Kinnick Stadium, keeping the Lions in the game even as the offense was struggling badly with- out Clifford. Ebiketie was a huge part of that effort, finishing with nine tackles including 3.5 tackles for loss. BEST EFFORT: In a season full of outstanding performances from Penn State's defense, none were better than the unit's refusal to allow a clearly frustrated Hoosiers outfit to score any points, period. Senior wideout Jahan Dotson was on the receiving end of the season's best pass, a 52-yard touchdown strike from Sean Clifford on Penn State's first offensive play of the game against Villanova. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL