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Penn State Football position grades after back to back wins

By Lawrence Santa Maria

Brandon Smith of Penn State sacks quarterback Johnny Lanngan of Rutgers in the first half during a Big Ten college football match up that saw Penn State defeat Rutgers 23-7 in Piscataway, NJ on December 5, 2020.Big Ten College Football Penn State At Rutgers In Piscataway Nj On December 5 2020
Brandon Smith of Penn State sacks quarterback Johnny Lanngan of Rutgers in the first half during a Big Ten college football match up that saw Penn State defeat Rutgers 23-7 in Piscataway, NJ on December 5, 2020.Big Ten College Football Penn State At Rutgers In Piscataway Nj On December 5 2020 /
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Penn State football has put back to back victories together for the first time this year and looks like a different team as they head into the final two games of the season.

Penn State football has seemingly righted the ship, after starting 0-5 for the first time in program history, picking up their second consecutive victory Saturday in a 23-7 win over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.

Not much has gone the Nittany Lions’ way in 2020, between Micah Parsons opting out, a Journey Brown heart condition that ended his football career, or season ending injuries to Noah Cain and Pat Freiermuth. Through that, Franklin’s squad has showed some resolve, piecing together two solid performances in trips to Michigan and Rutgers with an eye on ending the season on a four game winning streak.

Possibly even with a Bowl berth.

Even with optimism building after picking up a few victories, 2-5 is not where Penn State thought they would be sitting as the calendar turned to December.

Here is a deep dive on positional grades at the quarter pole of the season for Penn State football:

Quarterback

Grade C+

The quarterback position has been up and down and taken many turns throughout the past few weeks – but it looks like Sean Clifford is back to being “The Guy” – at least for the remainder of 2020.

The Will Levis experience only lasted about five quarters before the turnover bug got him, too. As a result, James Franklin went back to Clifford, who is the best passer of the two. It looks at this point, that Levis will be used solely in the “falcon package” on quarterback runs, mostly in short yardage and goal line situations.

Clifford was expected to take a step forward this season with new offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca’s arrival in State College, however, it has been much of the opposite as the redshirt junior has seemingly regressed.

The good is Clifford has thrown for 1,366 yards and 12 touchdowns, while being second on the team in rushing with 276 yards. The bad has been turnovers, with nine interceptions and two fumbles, both of which resulted in a scoop and score for the opposing defense.

The last two weeks have been more of the Clifford we saw in 2019, making smart efficient throws, back to being more of a “game manager,” with only one turnover in the last two games. Clifford completed 64% of his passes for 296 yards and a touchdown in games against Michigan and Rutgers. The Ohio native had a big day with his legs in week six against the Wolverines, running for 73 yards and a score, a lot of them coming on crucial third downs.

The quarterback we have seen over the past two weeks gives Penn State a chance to win most of the games they play, so time will tell if he can build on that as the season winds down.

The harsh reality is: the 2021 week 1 starter may not be on this roster right now …

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