Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1482664
2 4 N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 2 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M GRADING THE OFFENSE Having flashed their potential, the Nittany Lions now seek consistency T he season started well enough for Penn State's offense in its second year under coordinator Mike Yurcich. The Nittany Lions put up 35 points at Purdue, 46 against Ohio, 41 in a blowout win at Auburn, and 33 to close out the noncon- ference portion of the schedule against Central Michigan. They were running the ball successfully, and that made all the difference, with freshmen Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen emerging as stars behind an improved offensive line. Their development re- lieved sixth-year quarterback Sean Clifford of the need to carry the entirety of Penn State's offense on his shoulders. For much of the early season, the offense was mostly doing what coach James Franklin wanted it to do. "There have been times where it's been pretty obvious what our identity is, which is run, and play-action pass, and be ef- ficient in the passing game," Franklin said. "We really haven't been explosive in the passing game this year like we had been last year and in previous years. When we've been at our best, we have been able to run, and pass the ball in play-action, and spread the ball around." The issue for the Nittany Lions is that they've not been able to operate at that level consistently. Penn State struggled might- ily on a rainy afternoon against Northwestern, then fell flat in a 41-17 blowout loss at Michigan before bouncing back against Minnesota. Just past the season's midpoint, here is how the Nittany Lions' offense has graded out, with an eye toward what's next. Quarterback The sentiment of a good portion of Penn State's fan base hasn't been particularly favorable toward Clifford. Heading into the Ohio State game on Oct. 29, the fourth-year starter was averaging a little over 200 yards passing per game and was completing 61.5 percent of his attempts, with 1,445 yards and 13 touchdowns against just 3 interceptions. Still, when he was introduced on the Beaver Stadium video board during pregame warmups as the starter for the Minnesota game, boos rained down from the bleachers. Refraining from criticizing fans, Franklin summed up his decision to keep Clifford in place as the team's starting quar- terback. "I'm proud of Sean," the coach said. "He's a battler, he's re- silient, and he's tough. "If you look around the country, there are a lot of programs that would be super excited and happy about Sean Clifford be- ing the quarterback." In the same game, one in which Clifford threw 4 touchdown passes, the counterargument also played out for the Nittany Lions. Entering for mop-up duty late in the game, five-star true freshman Drew Allar appeared for the sixth time this season. Heading into the Ohio State game, he had completed 18 of 31 passes on the year for 209 yards and 2 touchdowns, but his stat line hasn't been as important as the eye test. To that end, Allar has looked every bit the part. Explaining the rationale behind the choice to stick with the veteran, Yurcich laid bare the difference between the two quar- terbacks. Clifford, he said, has been "invaluable [because of] every- thing he does from a leadership standpoint, from a toughness standpoint. He does all the little things that a true freshman quarterback may overlook at times. "Those are important things for the overall offense to be successful, and for us to be able to adapt and to change, and to maybe check a play here or motion a receiver based on coverage and all those sorts of things. He gets that." Grade: B NAT E BAU E R | NAT E . B AU E R @ O N 3 . C O M Sixth-year senior Sean Clifford was completing 61.5 percent of his passes with 13 touchdowns and 3 interceptions through seven games. PHOTO BY DANIEL ALTHOUSE