Penn State Football: Is it time for a quarterback change?
Solutions
James Franklin needs to answer this question:
How do we prepare for the future while also stay as competitive as possible in 2022?
It’s not an easy question to answer, but this staff gets paid millions of dollars to make tough decisions like this.
It’s difficult to see the staff totally bench the veteran Clifford, at least for the time being. If Penn State football was to lose another game, the decision becomes much clearer because there’s not as much of a difference between 8-4 and 9-3 as there is between 10-2 and 9-3. Double-digit win seasons and major bowl appearances mean something, 10-2 should be the goal.
What Penn State football will likely do at least against Indiana this upcoming week is start Clifford but find ways to get Allar more involved. Maybe give him a drive in the second quarter, regardless of the score. If Penn State gets out to a multi touchdown lead in the fourth quarter, it should trust Allar to finish the game. Anything over a 14-point lead should result in Allar finishing the game.
The Nittany Lions also may need to cut down on Clifford’s leash. He threw two early interceptions against Ohio State and stayed in the game. That seemed like the right move for the majority of the game as Clifford led the comeback. Unfortunately, it did not end well.
If Clifford has two early turnovers in one of these games and the Nittany Lions find themselves down, maybe you make the switch right away and see if Allar gives the offense a jolt. It would not hurt to try.
Because it’s difficult to see Franklin fully benching Clifford, the solution would be to play Allar as much as possible. Play him when Penn State is up by 17 points instead of waiting until 30 points. Play him when Clifford struggles early in a game. Don’t be afraid to give Allar a chance, even if it doesn’t feel like the ideal situation.
Lastly, maybe Penn State football should circle one of these four games, most likely Rutgers, and say ok we’re starting Allar this week. Gameplan for him as the starter and see how it goes. If he plays well in the time he gets against Indiana and Maryland, this needs to be heavily considered.