How Sean Clifford overcame health issues, up-and-down play to lead Penn State past Purdue

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Sean Clifford’s 2022 debut was anything but perfect.

At times, the sixth-year quarterback looked nothing like a veteran during Penn State’s Thursday night Big Ten game at Purdue. Questionable throws — and an unspecified injury — led some Penn State faithful to question whether the team should go with his backup, five-star recruit Drew Allar.

And yet, Clifford’s play ultimately was the tipping point in the Nittany Lions’ 35-31 win over the Boilermakers. He completed 20 of 37 passes for 282 yards and four touchdowns to one interception. He also had a rushing touchdown, which means he accounted for every Penn State score.

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Despite that stat line, Clifford appeared incapable of leading Penn State (1-0, 1-0 Big Ten) to a go-ahead score for much of the fourth quarter. Indeed, an overthrow of a wide-open receiver allowed Chris Jefferson to return an interception 72 yards for a touchdown to give Purdue (0-1, 0-1 Big Ten) a 31-28 lead.

Clifford never seemed fully comfortable in the second half following an early exit from the field. Video showed him jogging off without his helmet, forcing Allar, a freshman, into action (he completed 2 of 4 passes for 24 yards).

Clifford returned after one Nittany Lions possession, though his play after that didn’t inspire confidence. Four of the drives he led ended with punts; one resulted in the pick-six.

The other two led to points.

The first ended with a 29-yard touchdown to KeAndre Lambert-Smith that was more a result of the receiver’s run after the catch. It gave Penn State a 28-24 lead with 10:44 remaining.

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Then the pick-six placed Penn State back in trouble as Clifford struggled to move the ball downfield. He completed 2 of 5 passes for 13 yards on the two drives that preceded Penn State’s final drive.

But overly aggressive play-calling by Purdue coach Jeff Brohm — the Boilermakers ran just once in 14 plays in the last 6:27 of regulation — and stops by Penn State’s defense allowed Clifford one last shot at redemption.

How did he respond? By going 6 of 7 through the air for 72 yards and the game-winning score, a 10-yard connection to Keyvone Lee on a wheel route:

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Penn State once again made a stop and gave Clifford his hero’s moment.

Nittany Lions coach James Franklin spoke after the game about his quarterback’s resiliency and hinted at what was bothering Clifford.

“He kept cramping up,” Franklin said. “We had to get Drew in there. But just proud of our guys.

“It was very impressive. We work two-minute all the time and it showed up for us right there. It was a little all-or-nothing on offense: We either went three-and-out or went down the field. We’ve got to be more consistent. You can learn a lot in games like this. And I’d rather learn it with a win.”

Clifford did not seem impressed by his play, but he was still happy to lead his team to the win.

“Sometimes it’s just about pulling it off,” he said. “And we did tonight. I didn’t play my best ball. . . . But in the end, we did, and it was just nice to share that moment with coach.”

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