10 Burning Questions Penn State Football must answer as camp begins

Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Sean Clifford (Mandatory Credit: Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports)
Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Sean Clifford (Mandatory Credit: Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports) /
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Sean Clifford #14 of the Penn State Nittany Lions (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /

2. Sean Clifford’s Consistency

Surprised this isn’t number one on the list?

Well, it very well could be.

Sean Clifford has a lot of the tools to be a very good quarterback, and help lead the Nittany Lions to a lot of wins. He has a strong arm, he is very underrated athletically, he can throw on the run, and he shows flashes of accuracy.

However, can Clifford limit mistakes (turnovers and negative plays specifically)?

Many of his interceptions last season were not so much poor decisions as they were just flat out misses. If he can clean up his mechanics and become more accurate more often, it would go a long way towards his success.

In Clifford’s first year as a starter in 2019, and even last season when most people only remember his bad plays, he made some very good throws with impressive accuracy. He needs to be able to do that more often, though.

Additionally, he needs to improve at going through his progressions and finding the open man. Can he improve in those two aspects and have a bounce back season?

The good news is, Clifford should not be expected to have to do it all himself.

The Nittany Lions’ offensive line should be solid and be able to keep him upright and give him time to make some plays. He also has a stable of great running backs to run the rock and chew up a lot of yards, putting him in advantageous situations. Plus, he has a great group of receivers and tight ends to throw to, including one of the best in America, Jahan Dotson.

Lastly, Mike Yurcich brings in an exciting new offense that will hopefully take advantage of all of these things and put Clifford in the best possible position to succeed. Will all of these variables combined be enough for Clifford to get back to his 2019 self, or even better?

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