Surely James Franklin Realizes Sean Clifford Stinks, Right?

Surely James Franklin Realizes Sean Clifford Stinks, Right?

Maybe it was having to watch the Penn State/Purdue game on my phone while on the plane yesterday so I didn’t get the best view, perhaps it was just an off night, or just maybe… Sean Clifford, QB for Penn State, flat-out stinks. The sixth-year senior did manage to lead the Penn State Nittany Lions to a road win last night against Purdue 35-31, but good lord Clifford looked horrible. Head coach James Franklin has to realize by now he can’t win with this guy, right?

Now, I can’t give ALL the blame to Clifford (he will get his fair share, don’t worry), if I counted correctly, I believe the number of drops on the night by Penn State receivers was 7? maybe 8? On a stat line of 20/37, that is the difference between a 54.1% completion percentage and a roughly 75% percentage. Bananas. The receivers did Clifford little favors last night, outside of a few halfway decent plays. The TD pass to KeAndre Lambert-Smith was a result of piss poor tackling, not the QB throwing the receiver open.

That is all the praise I can give him.

What a bad night for Sean Clifford. 20/37, 282 yards, 4 TDs, and 1 INT, which was a 72-yard pick-six. Let’s start there. Just watch this.

Who on earth was he throwing to here? You would have to be damn near 8ft tall to come down with this pass. The mechanics were terrible as well. There is zero drive in this pass. Minimal step forward. He drives forward with that pass, he maybe could have kept it down enough to at least bat the ball down.

The decision-making on display last night was not that of a high-caliber Big Ten starting Quarterback. The among of times Clifford would feel the slightest amount of pressure and escape the pocket was too many, and the throws on the run that followed with were wildly inaccurate.

James Franklin should have had enough to go off of from last season. To recap the 2021 season for the Nittany Lions, they started the year 5-0, getting as high as #4 in the nation. What happened afterward was a disaster. A heartbreaking loss to #3 Iowa, followed by an embarrassing loss to Illinois, and a third straight loss on the season, on the road at Ohio State. Their only wins the rest of the season was At Maryland and against Rutgers. They somehow managed to be bowl eligible, only to be stomped on by Arkansas in the Outback Bowl. Clifford isn’t a winner. If I was him, I would be terrified of who is waiting in the wings.

This one play was almost better than Sean Clifford was for about 29 minutes before Clifford decided to remember how to be a halfway decent QB and lead Penn State to a game-winning drive. Clifford and Allar were one of the QB battles to watch, and if I was a betting man, I don’t think Clifford ends the season as the starting QB.

James Franklin has to realize this team is going nowhere with Sean Clifford at Quarterback. Clifford looked really bad against a Purdue team (no offense to them, a 9-win team a season ago). When it comes October and they play Northwestern, at Michigan, Minnesota then Ohio State, I simply could not have any less faith in him. Franklin needs to wake up and realize if this team is to go places, they need to make a change. Sean Clifford is no longer the answer at Penn State.

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