Penn State's Sean Clifford Wins Another Big Ten Award

The quarterback becomes a two-time offensive player of the week.

Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford is the Big Ten offensive player of the week after his season-best performance against Minnesota.

Clifford completed 23 of 31 passes for 295 yards and four touchdowns in the Lions' 45-17 win over Minnesota. Clifford set season-highs in yards, completion percentage (74.2) and efficiency rating (190.25). The award was Clifford's second this season; he won after his Week 1 performance vs. Purdue.

"I'm proud of Sean," Penn State coach James Franklin said after the game. "He's a battler, he's resilient, and he's tough. He played well. If you look around the country, there are a lot of programs that would be super excited and happy about Sean Clifford being the quarterback and what he was able to do [Saturday] against one of the betterdefenses in the country."

Clifford set two program records Saturday. He became the first Penn State quarterback to throw four touchdowns in a game five times. Clifford also set the Penn State record for career completions (722), passing Trace McSorley.

He also became the second Penn State quarterback, with McSorley, to reach 9,000 career passing yards. McSorley holds the program record at 9,899.

Most games with at least 4 TD passes, in @PennStateFball history:

5 - Sean Clifford
4 - Trace McSorley
3- Todd Blackledge & Matt McGloin#B1Gstats pic.twitter.com/9uxyunzcew

— Penn State On BTN (@PennStateOnBTN) October 23, 2022

Clifford called the game one of the best this season for Penn State's offense, which topped 40 points against a Big Ten opponent for the first time since 2020.

No. 13 Penn State returns home Saturday to host No. 2 Ohio State. Kickoff is scheduled for noon ET on FOX.

PENN STATE FANS: SI Tickets is your one-stop shop for tickets to a variety of Penn State sporting events, from football to basketball, hockey to volleyball. Need tickets to the Penn State game? Check out SI Tickets.

Read More

For Sean Clifford, a night of 'heart and soul'

The Penn State-Minnesota report card

Penn State restores the big-play offense in a rout of Minnesota

James Franklin was ready to celebrate after Penn State's win over Minnesota

How the Penn State White Out became the greatest show in college sports

Michigan Stadium tunnel a 'problem,' James Franklin says

AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich. And consider subscribing (button's on the home page) for more great content across the SI.com network.