Penn State Football: Grading the Nittany Lions’ performance vs. Pitt

I was looking forward to watching Sean Clifford’s first start against a Power-5 defense, as it would give me a better idea of where he is in terms of progression than Idaho and Buffalo would. Having said that, Clifford played his worst game of the season on Saturday, and it wasn’t close.

Yes, the conditions were harsh with the rain, but Clifford missed a few deep throws that had they were completed, probably would have gone for touchdowns. Clifford finished his day completing only 14 of his 30 passes for 222 yards and zero touchdowns.

In addition, Clifford didn’t contribute on the ground as he did in his first two starts. He had seven carries for only five yards.

On the bright side, Sean Clifford didn’t turn the ball over and still hasn’t turned the ball over yet this season. He hasn’t fumbled or thrown an interception.

Furthermore, Sean Clifford definitely did a better job of spreading the ball in this game than the previous two. Against Buffalo, only four different receivers caught passes. Against Pitt, nine different receivers caught targets.

Overall, putting up 17 points isn’t ideal. Sean Clifford needs to improve on his deep pass accuracy. Against the better teams later in the season, if a receiver is open down the field, a poorly thrown ball can cost you the game. You can’t miss on opportunities to score points against a team like Michigan or Ohio State.

However, as I’ve said before, this is a youthful team, and this was only Sean Clifford’s third start. I’m hopeful that with two weeks of preparation, we’ll see a much better version of the Penn State offense on September 27th in College Park.