To His Penn State Teammates, Sean Clifford Is 'Very Underappreciated'
Sean Clifford doesn't regret a moment of his nearly six years at Penn State. A throw here and there, he does for sure. "A bunch of throws. Hundreds of throws," he said Saturday afternoon at Beaver Stadium.
But after Penn State's 30-0 win over Maryland, a game in which he made school and Big Ten history, Clifford sounded serene about his career. He's getting ready for what's next. He certainly knows some fans are. And he's perfectly OK with that.
"Did I have some bad days? Yeah, for sure," Clifford said. "But at the same time, I know I’ve given this program everything I’ve got, laid my guts on the line for this place, and I love everything about Penn State. And it’s going to be sad to leave. But at the same time, ... I think myself and the Penn State community is definitely ready to see someone new.
"I’m with them. I'm with them."
Clifford laughed as he repeated the phrase, signaling a self-awareness few people ever come to know — let alone those who are 24 years old. The quarterback didn't play his best game on his record-setting day, when he broke Trace McSorley's career-passing mark and became the seventh Big Ten quarterback to throw for 10,000 yards.
Clifford completed 12 of 23 passes for 139 yards, missed two deep-shot touchdown opportunities to Parker Washington and ran off too much clock during a 2-minute drill to close the first half. Penn State's 27-0 halftime lead could have been much higher with better play from its quarterback.
Clifford also might have been responsible for James Franklin's first career unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty, for which the coach did sideline penance pushups. Franklin said he was yelling at his players and not the officials. "I was the cause of that," Clifford said with a smile.
Yes, Clifford knows exactly who he is and what he has left to accomplish at Penn State. He can bookend his career with 11-win seasons, which would help ease the frustration of those middle two. He also will occupy a significant part of Penn State's record book.
"I think you guys know the amount of respect I have for Sean," Franklin said. "He's been here a long time. He's done it the right way. He represents the program with class. ... So, I'm happy for him and I'm proud of him."
Four-year starting quarterbacks with 40+ career starts should reach big milestones such as career passing and touchdown records. Clifford joined such Big Ten quarterbacks as Purdue's Drew Brees (11,792 passing yards) and Curtis Painter (11,163) on the list, one that also includes a pair of Northwestern veterans in Clayton Thorson (10,731) and Brett Basanez (10,589).
The 10,000-yard club represents something of a lifetime achievement award, though it's still a substantial achievement. Which is why teammates call Clifford underappreciated.
"I think he's very underappreciated," said tight end Brenton Strange, who caught a touchdown on Clifford's record-setting pass. "We know what he brings to our team, how he runs our team, being a leader. There's a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff that a regular spectator wouldn't understand. I'm very thankful to play with Cliff."
Added fellow tight end Theo Johnson, "We were just talking about this in the locker room with some of the other guys. And, you know, we think that he gets a lot of crap and hate. Sean's got every record you can have as a quarterback and he's done a lot of great things. I think that people are going to look back at his time here at Penn State, and I think they're going to say that he was the best one to do it."
It's amazing to consider that Clifford began his career in 2017 as part of a quarterback room that included Trace McSorley, Tommy Stevens, Jake Zembiec and Billy Fessler. All still are very much part of the game: McSorley plays for the Arizona Cardinals, Stevens plays in the CFL for the Calgary Stampeders, Fessler is the quarterbacks coach at Akron and Zembiec is a physical therapist who trains young quarterbacks in Rochester.
From them, Clifford learned to "always be the best teammate and leader that I can." It's something he has tried to pay forward with Penn State's next generation of quarterbacks in Drew Allar and Beau Pribula. He also has tried to ready them for a future fast approaching.
"That's my goal with the young guys: to get them to be masters of the program, masters of the offense as soon as possible," Clifford said. "Every day that's a mission of mine."
At halftime Saturday, Clifford marveled that running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen were averaging nearly 10 yards per carry. "When you're averaging [almost] a first down per carry, realistically, why would you pass it at that point?" Clifford asked. Some fans might have agreed.
Clifford will be Penn State's quarterback for three more games, including his last at home Nov. 26 against Michigan State. Fans at Beaver Stadium will cheer his introduction for two reasons: 1) to say thank you and 2) to say good bye. The young quarterbacks await.
Again, Clifford's perfectly OK with that.
"Somebody not liking me or not liking a throw or a boo here or there, realistically it’s fine because for me I’m just so content," he said. "I enjoy every day. I love being myself and being able to have the experiences I do. I can’t ever be mad about my situation."
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