Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1507572
6 4 O C T O B E R 2 0 2 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M about that," he said. "At the same time, I came in and I found my name on the plate and I sat down. I'm doing whatever it takes to win games here. I'm very ap- preciative of the opportunity. Green Bay has a guy who's going to come in and give them their all, and I can promise that. I'm just trying to create my own legacy now and continue just to get better." Clifford saw action in his first NFL regular-season game. With the Packers comfortably ahead in the fourth quar- ter of their opener against Chicago on Sept. 10, he came on in relief of Love. He didn't attempt a pass but had 1 carry for no gain in Green Bay's 38-20 victory. As long as Love stays healthy, Clif- ford's role is likely to be limited during his rookie season. But he's already seen enough to feel confident in his poten- tial as an NFL player. The preseason opener against his hometown team was just the start. Said Clifford, "Once I played in that, I felt like, if I eliminate the turnovers, I can do some things in this league." FORMER NITTANY LIONS IN THE NFL As of Sept. 11 Adrian Amos (Played at Penn State from 2011- 14), S, New York Jets: Playing his first game for the Jets after four seasons in Green Bay, Amos backed up Tony Adams at free safety and finished with 2 solo tackles in a 22-16 overtime victory over Buf- falo in Week 1. Troy Apke (2014-17), S, Washington Command- ers: Apke was placed on injured reserve in August with a shoulder problem that may require surgery. He is expected to miss the season. Saquon Barkley (2015-17), RB, New York Giants: The Giants got off to a disastrous start, and Barkley was among the many New York players who strug- gled in a 40-0 shellacking at the hands of NFC East rival Dallas on opening night. The sixth-year pro managed 51 yards on 12 carries and had 3 catches for 12 yards. Late in the first quarter, Cowboys cor- nerback Trevon Diggs crashed into Barkley after a short pass reception, causing the ball to pop loose and land in the hands of cornerback DaRon Bland, who returned it 22 yards for a Dallas touchdown. Ryan Bates (2015-19), G/C, Buffalo Bills: Bates was moved to the second-team center spot in the preseason to make room at right guard for rookie standout O'Cyrus Torrence. The Bills managed only 97 rushing yards in their overtime loss to the Jets. Nick Bowers (2015-19), TE, Miami Dolphins: Bowers was signed to the Dolphins' practice squad on Aug. 31. Jaquan Brisker (2019-21), S, Chicago Bears: Brisker had 7 tackles and 1 pass defended in the Bears' 38-20 loss to the Packers on opening day. Cam Brown (2016-19), LB, New York Giants: Brown has been bothered by an ankle injury and was inactive for the Giants' opener against Dallas. Ji'Ayir Brown (2020-22), S, San Francisco 49ers: Listed as the 49ers' second-team free safety, Brown did not have any counting stats in their 30-7 rout of host Pittsburgh to open the season. Jason Cabinda (2014-17), FB, Detroit Lions: Cabi- nda did not register any stats in the Lions' 21-20 victory at Kansas City in Week 1. Tariq Castro-Fields (2017-21), CB, Washington Commanders: Castro-Fields did not have any stats in the Commanders' season-opening 20-16 win over Arizona. Jahan Dotson (2019-2021), WR, Washington Commanders: Dotson opened his second NFL season by tying for the team lead with 5 catches against Arizona. His 40 receiving yards helped lift the Commanders past the Cardinals. Arnold Ebiketie (2021), DE, Atlanta Falcons: A starter at weak-side linebacker, Ebiketie had a tackle and a quarterback hit in Atlanta's 24-10 vic- tory over Carolina. Pat Freiermuth (2018-20),TE, Pittsburgh Steel- ers: Freiermuth supplied the Steelers with their only touchdown in a 30-7 loss to San Francisco, catching a 3-yard scoring pass from Kenny Pickett in the second quarter. It was Freiermuth's only catch of the afternoon. Will Fries (2016-20), OL, Indianapolis Colts: Fries is listed as Indianapolis' starter at right guard. The Colts weren't able to muster much offense in their opener, totaling just 280 yards in a 31-21 loss to visiting Jacksonville. Mike Gesicki (2014-17), TE, New England Patri- ots: After spending his first five seasons in Miami, Gesicki caught 3 passes for 36 yards against Phila- delphia in his debut with the Patriots. Kevin Givens (2016-18), DT, San Francisco 49ers: Givens was not credited with any tackles in the 49ers' 30-7 victory over Pittsburgh. Chris Godwin (2014-16), WR, Tampa Bay Buc- caneers: Godwin opened his seventh pro season by catching 5 passes for 51 yards in the Buccaneers' 20-17 victory at Minnesota. Yetur Gross-Matos (2017-19), DE, Carolina Pan- thers: Gross-Matos, who switched from defensive end to outside linebacker this past offseason, did not have any stats in the Panthers' loss to Atlanta. Austin Johnson (2012-15), DT, Los Angeles Char- gers: Listed as the Chargers' starting nose tackle, Johnson had 1 pass defended in the team's 36-34 loss to Miami in Week 1. DaQuan Jones (2010-13), DL, Buffalo Bills: The starting right tackle in Buffalo's base 4-3 defense, Jones had 2 solo stops in the team's season-opening overtime loss to the Jets. Jesse Luketa (2018-21), LB, Arizona Cardinals: Luketa finished with 3 tackles, all solo stops, in the Cardinals' 20-16 loss to Washington. Connor McGovern (2016-18), G, Buffalo Bills: After four seasons in Dallas, McGovern signed with Buffalo in March and won the starting left guard position. The Bills struggled on the ground in their opener, totaling 97 yards rushing in a loss to the New York Jets. PJ Mustipher (2018-22), DT, Denver Broncos: An undrafted free agent, Mustipher was waived by the Broncos in August and later re-signed to the team's 16-man practice squad. He was not on their active roster in Week 1. Amani Oruwariye (2014-18), CB, New York Gi- ants: Oruwariye was released by New York on Aug. 29 and later re-signed to the practice squad. He was not active for the Giants' opener against Dallas. Odafe Oweh (2018-20), DE, Baltimore Ravens: To open his third NFL season, Oweh had 3 tackles and a game-high 3 quarterback hits in Baltimore's 25-9 victory over visiting Houston. Micah Parsons (2018-19), LB, Dallas Cowboys: Parsons was part of a dominant effort by the Cow- boys' defense against the New York Giants. He fin- ished with 3 tackles, including a sack, and added 2 quarterback hits in Dallas' 40-0 romp. Joey Porter Jr. (2019-22), CB, Pittsburgh Steelers: Porter had 1 tackle in his NFL debut against San Francisco. Allen Robinson II (2011-2013), WR, Pittsburgh Steelers: One of the Steelers' key offseason free agent acquisitions, Robinson led the team with 64 receiving yards on 5 catches in a loss to the visiting San Francisco 49ers. Miles Sanders (2016-18), RB, Carolina Panthers: In his first game with the Panthers after four seasons in Philadelphia, Sanders rushed 18 times for 72 yards and caught 4 passes for 26 yards in a 24-10 loss to Atlanta. Nick Scott (2014-18), S, Cincinnati Bengals: Scott, who is starting at strong safety for the Bengals, tied for the team lead with 11 tackles in Cincinnati's 24-3 loss to Cleveland in its opener. Juice Scruggs (2018-22), C, Houston Texans: "Obviously, I understand who was in here before, and I respect everything about that. At the same time, I came in and I found my name on the plate and I sat down. I'm doing whatever it takes to win games here." CLIFFORD