It’s yet another edition of Penn State’s favorite nighttime drama, and the star is still Sean Clifford | Jones
Clifford #Clifford
STATE COLLEGE – Ever been close to a couple that’s a total soap opera? Or maybe you’ve been part of one.
The repeated fights bear serial reconciliations. Never is any stability achieved. You know it eventually has to end for good. But all the false alarms and makeups and breakups keep piling up until everyone just quits paying attention.
That’s what the Sean Clifford saga reminds me of. Just when he’s made what has to be the final horrible gaffe and Penn State fans think they’re finished with him and really, really ready to move on, he does something endearing to fish them back in. They allow it. And they know they’ll hate themselves later. But, well, they’re used to him. God knows, they’re used to him.
In the counseling business, they would call Clifford and PSU backers “an unhealthy relationship”. But like most such involvements, while it might grow wearisome, it’s rarely dull.
If they made an actual old-fashioned daytime drama out of it, they’d call it Allar’s Hope, the never-ending quest for playing time for everyone’s favorite backup quarterback. Unfortunately for all the serial’s fans, the entrenched lead will not relinquish his role and the director is going along to get along.
We join the program in progress. Clifford has endured consecutive 3-n-out series to start the game against 4-point road dog Minnesota. The Gophers, playing their backup due to a concussion injury to 4-year starter Tanner Morgan, are not any better. They are specializing in give-up plays on 3rd/long to their terrific but unsupported feature back Mo Ibrahim.
It feels like one of those 9-6 games the Big Ten’s middle reaches have been specializing in lately. That’s not making the Homecoming Whiteout crowd very happy.
You could feel how unfiltered the daylong-alcohol-fueled gathering was from the start. And an embarrassing snafu at the end of the opening series only unleashed them further. Apparently confused about whether they were going for a 4th/1 or punting, Clifford and the offense stayed on the field and lined up as the punt team ran on. You can’t run a legal play with 22 men on the field. That’s an illegal procedure.
And when, on the second snap of Penn State’s third possession, Clifford heaved an aimless ball over the head of a not-open Parker Washington and into the arms of Minnesota safety Justin Walley, well, the crowd cut loose. The boos rained down. Many were for Clifford. You assume others were for James Franklin, the director who insisted on keeping him in the star billing.
Now it was shaping up as a climax moment in the drama. The sort where fans were checking to see which QB had his helmet on as the offense prepped to come on. This had to be it for Clifford, right?
Nah. Plot twist!
With his team trailing 3-0, Clifford and his beleaguered OC Mike Yurcich latched on to a buoy – throws down the spine and seams to the tight ends. It saved the 24-year-old QB one more time.
Two Clifford shots downfield to Theo Johnson in the space of three plays finally got the inebriated crowd cheering for their own side. The drive stalled when the Lions attempted to run against a stacked Gopher front. But it was a start. The vital Jake Pinegar field goal from 41 yards tied the game.
And there began the umpteenth rising from imagined ashes of Clifford. By the end of the first half, he had located tight ends Johnson, Brenton Strange and Tyler Warren six times. By the end of the game, he had amassed 295 passing yards and 4 TDs against that single early pick.
And Allar’s well-cheered appearance with eight minutes of mop-up time left was as inconsequential as that of a beloved PSU hero in street clothes – Arizona Cardinals’ backup QB Trace McSorley at the mic to lead the “We Are!” cheer a few minutes prior at the 3rd-quarter break.
Not only did Clifford resurrect himself yet again, he seemed to do the same this time for the entire Penn State offense. The running game was regenerated from inert in the first few series to 175 yards by the end, both Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen topping 75 on an evenly distributed 13 and 15 carries, respectively.
Slot receiver Washington, seldom seen lately, reappeared with a 7-catch night. He is not your prototypical deep ball grappler, neither tall or strong enough to out-wrestle the average safety. Yet, he had the highlight play of the night three minutes into the second half on just such a catch.
A heavily-pressured Clifford made his best throw of the night, heaving it for Washington running open near the goal line. While walling off safety Terell Smith, he high-pointed Clifford’s throw and cradled it as he fell into the end zone for a 23-10 Penn State lead. The play stretched 35 yards and it was the beginning of the end for Minnesota and its sideline-pacing coach P.J. Fleck.
Sure, the Gophers were punching bags at this point, softened up from consecutive defeats to B1G West leaders Purdue and Illinois. But this was still a total turnaround in the space of four quarters – the white-clad crowd turned from booing and on the verge of insurrection into festive, happy drunks.
Clifford did this. He has to be the most maddeningly and yet remarkably resilient player in the history of Penn State football. Love him or hate him, you gotta give him that.
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By the fourth quarter, all was in working order. Singleton and Allen were running free through the gutted Gopher innards. The Nittany Lion defense was loading up on the resolute but outgunned Ibrahim who barely managed to extend his nation-leading streak of 15 100-yard rushing games (102 on 30 carries).
And the heat was off the director for one more week. Ohio State arrives at The Beav next, but Franklin lingered for a few extra moments after this game was well over and the crowd had filed out.
While Sinatra played over the loudspeakers singing Fly Me to the Moon, he walked along the façade and slapped hands with straggling fans leaning over the railing.
The Victory Bell was ringing. And there was no need to think about the next episode of this melodrama for another week.
More Minnesota @ Penn State coverage:
• Pennlive’s Bob Flounders and Dave Jones recap Penn State-Minnesota: video.
• Big nights by Penn State’s Parker Washington and two Lions tight ends doom Minnesota on a White Out Saturday night.
• Penn State-Minnesota game balls, turning point: Tight ends, explosive plays lead Nittany Lions to victory.
• Penn State rapid reaction: No. 16 Nittany Lions 45, Minnesota 17 (Beaver Stadium).
• Watch: Penn State’s Parker Washington skies for acrobatic 35-yard touchdown catch.
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Penn State quarterback Drew Allar looks downfield during the fourth quarter on Oct. 22, 2022. Joe Hermitt | jhermitt@pennlive.com
© JOE HERMITT/pennlive.com/TNS