Opinion | Attitude Should’ve Been Gratitude: Penn State Would Be Undefeated in 2023 with Sean Clifford

“We want Drew.”

It was a simple three-word chant, but it held a lot of weight.

For every mishap on the offensive side of the ball in 2022, many of the 21,000 Penn State students in the south endzone plus a portion of the Beaver Stadium general admission crowd, pleaded ad nauseam for a then 18-year-old freshman to take the reins of the offense.

It didn’t matter whether the mistake was on the signal caller at the time, Sean Clifford, or not. It was always his fault. In his sixth and final year of eligibility, Clifford wasn’t perfect, but he led the team to an 11-2 record while going 226-for-351 passing with 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions through the air, along with an additional five rushing scores.

The subject of the heavily used chant from a season ago, Drew Allar, has taken over the quarterbacking duties for the Nittany Lions this season and has shown, at times, the ability to live up to the potential that earned him the faith of fans even before stepping on the field. Allar is 191-of-310 passing with 21 touchdowns and one interception through his first 10 career starts, not to forget his four further scores on the ground.

Despite having performances that stand out in a good way, such as the season-opener against West Virginia that earned him Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week, Allar has two showings that catch the eye for the wrong reason: Ohio State and Michigan.

The former five-star recruit went 18-for-42 with 191 yards and one touchdown while passing the ball against the Buckeyes on Oct. 21. Three weeks later, Allar completed 10-of-22 passes for 70 yards and one touchdown against the Wolverines on Nov. 11. He also contributed an additional 49 yards and one score on the ground.

Both of the Medina, Ohio native’s passing touchdowns against the top-five opponents came in near-garbage time. Against the scarlet and gray, Kaden Saunders was the one who combined with Allar for six with 29 seconds on the clock. Theo Johnson played the role that Saunders did and scored with 1:59 left against the maize and blue.

I am in no way solely blaming Allar for the losses against the two Big Ten East foes. His receivers failed to get separation, the running game was inconsistent, and the play calling didn’t help Allar find a rhythm, which resulted in the firing of offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich following the loss to Michigan.

What I will say though is that unlike in last year’s games against the same opponents, Penn State’s defense gave the team more than enough chances to win. Manny Diaz’s unit, which allowed nearly all of the combined 85 points that Michigan and Ohio State scored against Penn State in 2022, allowed 44 total points to two of the top three offenses in the Big Ten in 2023.

Look, I understand that Clifford may have given away the Ohio State game in 2022 as he threw three interceptions and fumbled away the ball once, which led to another score, but he also went 32-for-47 with 371 yards and three touchdowns. The sixth-year quarterback was the focal point of the offense, as neither Nicholas Singleton nor Kaytron Allen could get going on the ground.

Clifford also had to shoulder the load against Michigan as that duo of running backs failed to get going in the first of Penn State’s top-10 clashes last season. The Cincinnati native went 7-for-19 for 120 yards passing while adding six rushes for 74 yards as the blue and white put up 17 points, seven of which came on a Curtis Jacobs’ pick-6.

I get it. The blue and white’s 17 points still wouldn’t have beaten Michigan’s 24 this year, but Michigan’s defense looked more susceptible in this year’s matchup. The freedom that Clifford played with, although frustrating for fans at times, could’ve led to that big play that Penn State lacked, one that flipped momentum in the second half when the Nittany Lions didn’t get much going.

The same thing could be said for the Ohio State game. The offense went 1-for-16 on third downs, and had they converted even just a couple more, they would’ve put up more than 12 points and earned what would’ve been a program-changing win.

Clifford seemingly had no problems creating offense against the Buckeyes in his career, outside of his first start against them in 2019, going 95-for-146 passing with 1084 yards, seven touchdowns and five interceptions, despite losing every contest against them.

Despite having less success against Michigan, completing 61-of-115 passes for 670 yards and four touchdowns, he was able to win two of four games against them.

The new Green Bay Packer dealt with many of the same problems in those matchups that Allar is now dealing with. A lack of wide receiver production in Clifford’s final year led to the firing of wide receiver coach Taylor Stubblefield, the same Yurcich play calling stalled the offense, and a worse offensive line put Clifford under pressure more often, but yet he managed to do more.

This is James Franklin’s most talented team in years, and yes, there would be more turnovers, and there would be more heart-stopping moments, but with Clifford, there would be two more wins for the Nittany Lions.

I conclude by saying this. Appreciate what you have while you have it.

Clifford’s job was called for, and this year proves that it shouldn’t have been. Franklin was booed off the field following the Michigan loss, and fans were/are calling for his job. There aren’t any available options better than Franklin. College Football is in a new era, one where outside factors play just as big of a factor as X’s and O’s, so let the playing field even and watch what Franklin does.

Justin Ciavolella is a third-year student majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jtc5751@psu.edu or justinciavolella@gmail.com.