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Penn State Football: causes for concern for the Nittany Lions’ road trip to The Big House

By Nick Kreiser

STATE COLLEGE, PA - OCTOBER 01: Chop Robinson #44 of the Penn State Nittany Lions stands with teammates after the game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Beaver Stadium on October 1, 2022 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
STATE COLLEGE, PA - OCTOBER 01: Chop Robinson #44 of the Penn State Nittany Lions stands with teammates after the game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Beaver Stadium on October 1, 2022 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /
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STATE COLLEGE, PA – OCTOBER 01: Sean Clifford #14 of the Penn State Nittany Lions attempts a pass against the Northwestern Wildcats during the first half at Beaver Stadium on October 1, 2022 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
STATE COLLEGE, PA – OCTOBER 01: Sean Clifford #14 of the Penn State Nittany Lions attempts a pass against the Northwestern Wildcats during the first half at Beaver Stadium on October 1, 2022 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /

Cause for concern #2 – Sean Clifford’s cold streak

When Sean Clifford is at his best, he’s good enough to help Penn State Football win these big games; but when he’s struggling, he could hold the offense back in certain situations.

He started off the year playing some of his best football of his career. He was making the necessary plays, not putting the ball in harm’s way, and did an outstanding job of being a leader and making the necessary adjustments at the line of scrimmage. However last week, we started to see glimpses of 2020 and post-injury 2021 Sean Clifford.

The concern lies in the unknown. Which version of Sean Clifford will we get on Saturday afternoon? If it’s what we saw through most of the first four weeks, the beginning of last year, or in 2019, there’s more than enough reason to believe the Nittany Lions can knock off the Wolverines; but if it’s the not-so-good version, it’ll be an uphill battle for Penn State.

As is the case for a lot of games, the outcome will largely be determined by Sean Clifford’s performance. If his cold streak from Northwestern carries into Ann Arbor and he continuously makes poor reads, inaccurate throws, and holds onto the ball too long, it’ll be tough for the Nittany Lions to come out on top of this one.

On the flip side, if he plays smart, completion-driven football–as he’s proven he can at times throughout his career–there’s a good chance that Penn State Football fans will be happy with the outcome of this game.

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