Michigan at Penn State, Cade McNamara Versus Sean Clifford

In a battle of top Big 10 teams with quarterbacks that showed similarities, which one already proved he’s ready for the big-time and ready to help his team win on Saturday?

Brian Smith | Nov 12, 2021

HAPPY VALLEY, Pa. - This game can be broken down by what already transpired between two talented signal callers. Both can win a game based on prior history, depending on the situation. Michigan and Penn State fans already saw enough to believe their respective quarterbacks will be good enough to win on Saturday as well.

For passing the football, If a person preferred to look at sheer numbers, that would favor the Nittany Lions, while a person that valued winning and just doing one’s job favored the Wolverines. Each quarterback certainly had his moments to date.

Here’s a closer look at the two quarterbacks that will duel in Happy Valley tomorrow at 12 p.m. EST, beginning with the visiting team’s signal caller.

Cade McNamara

Vitals: 6’1”, 212 Pounds

Playing Style: McNamara falls into the pocket passer category, although he will occasionally make a play outside the traditional tackle box.

High School: Reno (Nev.) Damonte Ranch

Recruitment: Originally committed to Notre Dame before changing his selection to Michigan.

2021 Statistics: 130/208 for 1,666 yards, nine touchdowns and two interceptions. As a runner, McNamara rushed 20 times for 11 yards and one score.

Situational Statistics to Know: McNamara played far better during first halves. He’s thrown six touchdowns in the first halves compared to just three in second halves, plus he’s also thrown both of his interceptions in the second half of games.

His best quarter came from the second stanza, where he completed 53/76 for 709 yards and three touchdowns. Conversely, his worst quarter would be the fourth with McNamara only hitting on 17/32 for 221 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

Versus Toughest Defense to Date: during the Oct. 2 game at Wisconsin, McNamara’s passing included going 17/28 for 197 yards and two touchdowns. Most importantly, McNamara did not throw an interception or definitively hinder the Wolverines’ offense. The Badgers possessed one of the nation’s top defenses heading into that particular contest, and McNamara was up to the challenge.

Playing on the Road: McNamara did a fine job so far in 2021, as he completed 67/110 for 835 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions. Michigan played at Wisconsin, at Nebraska and at Michigan State, going 2-1 in those contests.

Red Zone Passing: Talk about feast or famine, that’s McNamara. He’s only 12/26 (46.2%) for 101 yards, but also contributed five passing touchdowns and zero interceptions.

Clutch Factor: When it’s third down and between 7-9 yards to go, McNamara completed 10/16 for 166 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions. That’s absolutely tremendous quarterback play.

Sean Clifford

Vitals: 6’2”, 220 Pounds

Playing Style: Clifford can run when he truly wants, but he’s best in the pocket and as a player that makes the first defender miss before eventually throwing the football.

High School: Cincinnati (Ohio) St. Xavier

Recruitment: With no offer from in-state Ohio State, and no offers from traditional powers Michigan or Notre Dame, Clifford picked Penn State over schools like Michigan State, Boston College and Kentucky.

2021 Statistics: 199/311 for 2,371 yards, 16 touchdowns, and six interceptions.

Situational Statistics to Know: Unlike McNamara, Clifford consistently performed at a moderate to moderately-high level this season, regardless of the quarter. The one glitch would be his three interceptions during the first quarter, as compared to three interceptions for the second, third and fourth quarters combined.

His highest yardage total of 769 yards came from the first quarter, as did his touchdown total of six. The second highest passing yardage total came from the third quarter with 650 yards, and that’s also his second highest touchdown passing total with five.

Versus Toughest Defense to Date: To open the season, Penn State played at Wisconsin. It was definitely Clifford’s lowest passing percentage of the season by way of going just 18/33, which equated to 54.5% passing. He threw for 247 yards and one touchdown in that game.

It’s also important to note that Wisconsin completely shut down the Nittany Lions’ rushing attack that game, and Clifford found a way to help his team come out on top in a really difficult environment by the score of 16-10. That was especially true as Penn State all but abandoned the running game in the second half and relied on Clifford’s right arm to help them leave with the victory.

Playing at Home: With the Wolverines traveling to Happy Valley for this game, it’s important to note that Clifford played far better at home than on the road. He’s connected on 104/154 for 1,254 yards, 12 touchdowns and three interceptions.

From those home games, Penn State played Auburn, Indiana and Illinois, all victories. It was the game against the SEC West opponent that mattered most, as it had the most raw defensive talent to go up against. Clifford was 28/32 for 280 yards, two touchdowns, and just one interception versus Auburn. His 87.5% completion mark is one of the best performances of the 2021 season for any quarterback.

Red Zone Passing: 25/39 for 109 yards, five touchdowns, zero interceptions. Matching McNamara, Clifford’s five touchdowns in the red zone helped to offset the porous running game the Nittany Lions possessed so far this season, as they average just 107.1 yards rushing per game, which is No. 117 out of 130 teams at the FBS level.

Clutch Factor: When it is third down and between 7-9 yards to go, Clifford proceeded to go 15/26 for 247 yards, zero touchdowns, and one interception. While not amazing, that’s a solid stat line for a tough situation to get out of.

Final Thoughts

This is a classic matchup with Penn State having been in situations that it needed to rely on its signal caller far more than Michigan did. That’s because Michigan possessed one of the nation’s top running games so far this season, while Penn State, as noted above, truly struggled to run the football.

While Clifford probably deserved to be considered the better signal caller based on his statistics in 2021, it’s hard to say what McNamara would have done if he would have been in a similar situation with his own running game struggling.

The other factor that always played into former Michigan at Penn State games, as always with a game at Beaver Stadium, crowd noise. If McNamara did not fold in that situation at Wisconsin, perhaps he will not in Happy Valley either. This should be a tremendous game down to the wire, regardless of how one viewed either McNamara or Clifford's 2021 performance prior to Saturday's kickoff.

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