Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1439730
J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 2 13 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M A Strong Quarterback Room Gives PSU Reason For Optimism PHIL GROSZ: There is no question that with Clifford making the decision to come back for a sixth year and participate in the 2022 football season, Penn State's situation at the quarterback position will be much better than it was this past year. Even though he was knocked out of the game at Iowa in Week 6 and missed most of the home finale against Rutgers in Week 11 with the flu, Clifford had his best year statistically as a starting quarterback at Penn State, completing 247 of 396 passes (62.4 percent) for 2,912 yards, with 20 touchdown passes and only six interceptions in the regular season. By coming back, Clifford will have an opportunity for the first time in his tenure as PSU's starter to be coached by the same offensive coordinator — Mike Yurcich — for the second year in a row. He'll also be able to serve as the perfect mentor to work with the team's two true freshman quarter- backs, Drew Allar and Beau Pribula, both of whom are enrolling in January. But for Penn State to take full advantage of the benefits that Clifford's return has afforded them, two very important matters have to be resolved. First, the Nittany Lions have to find a way to keep Clifford healthy throughout the 2022 season. Second, the coaching staff has to make sure that redshirt freshman Chris- tian Veilleux knows he will have a legitimate shot at winning the starting spot later in his college career, even with Clifford's return having pushed back his chance to compete by a year. Playing in place of an ailing Clifford against Rutgers, Veilleux completed 15 of 24 passes for 235 yards, with three touchdowns and no interceptions. He was very effective, and this coming year he will give the Lions their only experienced depth at the position. The Iowa game, in which Penn State managed only a field goal after Clifford was sidelined in the second quarter, showed the critical importance of depth at this position. Penn State Needs Much More Than A Veteran Presence At Quarterback MATT HERB: No doubt about it, Clifford's decision to return has given the Nittany Lions a huge boost heading into the offseason. Now, James Franklin and his staff need not worry about finding a quarterback in the transfer portal, nor will they have to start a freshman-eligible player at the position as they brace for a 2022 schedule that serves up games against Purdue, Auburn, Ohio State and Michigan in the first six weeks, with only the matchup against the Buckeyes taking place at Beaver Stadium. But if the Nittany Lions are really going to bounce back, they'll need to fix the parts of their offense that just flat-out didn't work in 2021. Penn State was ranked 13th in the Big Ten and 118th in the FBS in rushing offense heading into the Outback Bowl. And because the Lions weren't able to run the ball, they had to find workarounds that put too much pressure on Clifford. The fifth-year senior attempted 396 passes during the regular season, the second-highest total of any Big Ten quarterback. Asking your starting quarterback to play hero ball every week is a formula for inconsistency, and it's especially dangerous when you don't have an established backup ready to step in if you end up facing the consequences of exposing your starter to that much risk. PSU found that out the hard way this past year. So, while Clifford's return answers the biggest question that Penn State would otherwise have faced this offseason, the best thing that second-year offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich and offensive line coach Phil Trautwein can do is to provide him some help in the form of a more robust ground game. If the Lions can't run the ball next year, their super senior quarterback will find himself confronting the same problems he faced this past season, and he'll be facing them without Jahan Dotson on hand to strike fear into opposing secondaries. In that scenario, another seven-win regular season might start to look like a reasonable expectation, maybe even a best-case scenario. Will Sean Clifford's Return Give Penn State A Chance For A Bounce-Back Season In 2022? Point - Counterpoint Statistically, Clifford's senior season was his best at Penn State. He completed 62.4 percent of his passes for 2,912 yards through 12 games, with 20 touchdowns and six interceptions. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL