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Penn State Football: 3 key Matchups vs. Ohio State

By Lawrence Santa Maria

COLUMBUS, OH - NOVEMBER 23: Lamont Wade #38 of the Penn State Nittany Lions celebrates after John Reid #29 of the Penn State Nittany Lions broke up a pass intended for Chris Olave #17 of the Ohio State Buckeyes in the first quarter at Ohio Stadium on November 23, 2019 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH - NOVEMBER 23: Lamont Wade #38 of the Penn State Nittany Lions celebrates after John Reid #29 of the Penn State Nittany Lions broke up a pass intended for Chris Olave #17 of the Ohio State Buckeyes in the first quarter at Ohio Stadium on November 23, 2019 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images) /
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STATE COLLEGE, PA – NOVEMBER 16: Sean Clifford #14 of the Penn State Nittany Lions warms up before the game against the Indiana Hoosiers at Beaver Stadium on November 16, 2019 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
STATE COLLEGE, PA – NOVEMBER 16: Sean Clifford #14 of the Penn State Nittany Lions warms up before the game against the Indiana Hoosiers at Beaver Stadium on November 16, 2019 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /

Sean Clifford vs Ohio State’s Defense

Sean Clifford had an up and down performance Saturday in Bloomington.

Two first half interceptions that led to 10 Hoosier points put the Nittany Lions behind. However, his fourth quarter performance was, dare I say, Trace Mcsorley like. Had Penn State held on to win, the story would have been Clifford’s fourth  quarter 35-yard TD scamper and his go ahead 60 yard TD pass to Jahan Dotson with only 2:30 left in the game. Despite those two interceptions in the first half, Penn State football was still in a position to win the game late.

This week however, those mistakes simply cannot happen.

Penn State will have to play a merely perfect game to unseat the Buckeyes, and that starts with Clifford protecting the ball. The redshirt Junior QB used his legs a ton, rushing for 119 yards and a TD on 17 carries. Scrambling for key first downs to keep drives alive would go a long way for Penn State on Saturday. The Ohio State secondary looks nothing like it did last year, having lost 3 starters, most notably no. 3 pick, cornerback Jeffrey Okudah. Clifford needs to play a smart, mistake free four quarters if the Nittany Lions want to pull the upset.

Next. How can Penn State replace Noah Cain?. dark

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