Sean Clifford, Penn State football destroy Idaho in season opener
Penn State football quarterback Sean Clifford debuted as a starter against Idaho, and the Sophomore did not disappoint.
Nerves kicked in early for Penn State football quarterback Sean Clifford in the 2019 season opener on Saturday. That’s naturally expected to happen to a first-time starting quarterback at a program such as Penn State. Fortunately, though, the strength of the opponent surely gave Clifford some room for error.
As expected, Penn State’s defense came out firing on all cylinders during the first quarter. With a stop on fourth and short, the Lions defense gave Clifford and the offense some incredible field position. While the offense was able to move the ball quickly into the red zone, the Lions came up short by only gaining three points.
In the process, Clifford actually almost the lost the possession with a fumble that he thankfully recovered. The first quarter was a reasonable effort by Clifford, but the nerves were evident. For about the first quarter and a half, it took some time for Penn State’s new QB1 to settle in. Once he did though, the Lions offense created a spark that Idaho could not contain.
The Clifford-Hamler Connection
You knew it was only a matter of time before @PennStateFball star @Kj_hamler found the end zone today. pic.twitter.com/1fZxGhrYM2
— Penn State On BTN (@PennStateOnBTN) August 31, 2019
As expected, once Clifford caught fire, he had a lot of help from the young veteran, KJ Hamler. While Hamler only caught four passes, two of his receptions were for touchdowns, beginning with the sweet little bomb that Clifford delivered while getting hit on the run.
Once Clifford and Hamler connected for the first time this season, the two build up an excellent connection, which had Hamler responsible for 115 of Sean Clifford’s 280 total passing yards. In the air, Clifford had some shaky moments, but finishing the day off completing 14 of his 23 attempted passes for 280 yards and two touchdowns was a promising start for the Sophomore.
Questions being answered
As we know with Penn State’s offense, throwing the ball is only half the battle with the quarterback. Over the last three seasons, we found out that the offense is only as good as the quarterback’s ability to be versatile. Trace McSorley wasn’t the fastest guy, but his instincts while on the run was what made him so special on Saturday’s.
Like McSorley, Clifford isn’t the quickest guy. As a matter of fact, he’s not even considered to be a dual-threat quarterback. However, Clifford did listen to his head coach James Franklin and decided to work on his running over the offseason.
Next. Urban Meyer speaks highly of Sean Clifford. dark
To our surprise, his rushing instincts were actually pretty solid on Saturday against Idaho. He finished off the afternoon with seven carries for 57 yards. All in all, Penn State did exactly what they were supposed to do in the season opener — smash the inferior opponent. Despite getting off to a slower start than expected, Penn State looks to be in good hands moving forward.