Who are Penn State Football’s key players to pick up an Outback Bowl win over Arkansas?

Penn State Football quarterback – Sean Clifford

The Outback Bowl will be start number 33 (and counting) of Sean Clifford’s Penn State Football career, so his experience and leadership will be equally as important as what he does as a passer on the first day of the new year.

This will be the first time experiencing a bowl game for many players on the Nittany Lions’ offense, so Clifford will need to be a calm, cool, and collected leader for many of the underclassmen, including many of his receivers.

Along with all of those cliches, Clifford will need to have a great game passing the ball, as the offense clearly will need to lean heavily it. Arkansas does not have an overwhelmingly great pass defense by any means, allowing 215.5 passing yards per game, enough for 44th nationally.

Perhaps the most important key for Clifford is avoiding turnovers, which he was better at for most of this season than in the previous. Coaches always reference the turnover margin as often times being a key statistic in the difference between winning and losing, and the Nittany Lions cannot afford to give Arkansas any free passes.

If Clifford can lead by example, find the open receivers, and avoid turning the ball over, the Nittany Lions will be in a good position to knock of the Razorbacks.