One of the major themes of Penn State's 2021 season was inconsistency across the board and there may not have been a better example of that than the team’s quarterback room.
After some encouraging play to start the year, the production from the quarterback spot really faded as the year progressed.
So after seeing three players get reps last season and two more notable recruits coming to the team next year, it is time to review and preview the state of the Penn State quarterback room.
REVIEW.....
In his third season as Penn State’s starting quarterback, Sean Clifford had a tumultuous 12 starts and wound up taking a good amount of criticism for the team’s second half struggles.
Clifford started the year on a really encouraging stretch where he threw for 11 touchdowns and just three interceptions in the first five games. It also helped his confidence that the Nittany Lions began the year 5-0.
With Clifford playing at a high level and throwing for over 230 yards in each of the first four games including one 401 yard outing, many expected Penn State’s offense to resemble its 2019 unit that won 11 games and put up 53 points in the Cotton Bowl.
Things took a notable turn when Clifford had himself a really impressive quarter and a half against Iowa despite two turnovers and took a 17-3 lead against the No. 4 team in the nation on the road.
But an injury suffered in the second quarter forced Clifford to leave the game against the Hawkeyes and gave Ta’Quan Roberson his first meaningful college snaps in a pretty critical situation.
As most people know by this point, Roberson was unable to muster any sort of rhythm on offense let alone get on the same page with his offensive lineman on cadences and snap counts.
Following the bye week, James Franklin and the offensive coaching staff had a decision to make regarding who would start against Illinois and they opted for a hobbled Clifford over a completely healthy Roberson, which said everything you needed to know about the lack of confidence they had in the backup.
That Iowa disaster ended up being Roberson’s final time ever playing in a Penn State uniform as he never saw the field again and announced his transfer to UConn following the season.
While Clifford continued to play injured and take hits as the season went along, it appeared as if he just wasn’t the same both physically and mentally as he was in the first five games where his health was at 100%.
Then there was the infamous non-COVID related illness that struck the team in the home finale against Rutgers.
Going into Friday, Franklin said that the team thought it would have to start walk-on QB Mason Stahl due to the sickness reaching the quarterback room and all of its scholarship players.
But Clifford as well as third-string freshman Christian Veilleux were active for the game and after the sickness proved to be too much for Clifford to play with, it was Veilleux who got a chance to shine.
The Canadian quarterback impressed in his collegiate debut, throwing for 235 yards and three touchdowns in a 28-0 win against the Scarlet Knights.
There is no doubt that Clifford’s health really affected what appeared to be a disappointing second half of the year but the question remains, what is Penn State’s ceiling with the Cincinnati, Ohio, native taking snaps for the offense?
PREVIEW.....
Heading into the offseason, the primary question surrounding the program was whether or not Penn State would see Sean Clifford return in 2022,
He had an extra year of eligibility that stems from the NCAA’s COVID eligibility rules and likely did not end his career the way in which he would have wanted to.
But it was well documented that the Nittany Lions had commitments from the best quarterback recruit in the James Franklin era in Drew Allar and another talented arm in Central York’s Beau Pribula coming in.
Despite the youth that was being infused into the program, the veteran Clifford decided to stay in Happy Valley for one final season.
Considering Clifford could have transferred and likely started at a number of Power Five programs, this gives the indication that the starting job is in fact his heading into the season but that is no reason a guy like Allar can’t compete.
Allar has really impressed scouts and analysts through the winter months and is drawing comparisons to talents like Josh Allen at just 17 years old.
He is the clear future of the program along with a few others in Penn State’s loaded 2022 recruiting class but having Allar sit for a year may not be the worst thing.
The Medina High graduate will get the chance to learn behind Clifford who has seen plenty in his 4-plus years in blue and white and won’t have the pressure of being “the guy” just months out of high school.
So while the 2022 Nittany Lions may not become the most electric offensive team Franklin has had, the building blocks are there and if they can get steady play at the quarterback spot like in 2019, there’s no doubt that the program can get back to the double digit win standard next season.
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