Boos be damned, Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford is leaving his ‘heart and soul’ on the field

Sean Clifford has taken a lot of criticism. Sometimes it’s fair. Other times the shots are unwarranted and a matter of circumstance.

Either way, he’s pretty adept at blocking it out.

Before Saturday’s 45-17 win over Minnesota, the sixth-year quarterback was met with scattered boos after being announced as the starter. The chorus of boos from 109,817 fans dressed in all-white continued into Penn State’s first three drives: two three-and-outs and a compounding interception.

“We have a passionate fanbase, I understand that,” Clifford said. “They can think what they want to think but I’m going to focus on what I can do on the field where I give my heart and my soul. Nobody can take that away from me.”

Some of the boos may have been residual reactions to Penn State’s dull offensive performance in Ann Arbor, Mich. last weekend. But every mistake is magnified tenfold by the fact there’s a 6-foot-5 true freshman named Drew Allar behind him who, in just a small sample size, appears primed to be Clifford’s successor.

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The sixth-year quarterback responded to the Michigan loss and Saturday’s slow start. And he did it with vigor compiling one of his top performances this season.

Four passing touchdowns highlighted Clifford’s final White Out game. He threw for 295 yards. He completed 23 of 31 passes. And became the program’s career completions leader (722), passing Trace McSorley (720).

“I’m proud of Sean,” said head coach James Franklin. “He’s a battler. He’s resilient. He’s tough. And he played really well. I think if you look around the country there are a lot of programs that would be super excited and happy about Sean Clifford being their quarterback.”

What was Franklin’s reaction to fans eager to see Allar? “No reaction to those types of things,” he said as he later reiterated his unwavering support for Clifford, again justified by Saturday night’s performance.

Part of the intrigue for Penn State’s quarterback leading up to Minnesota reflected the lack of clarity on Clifford’s injury against Michigan. According to Franklin, he went through a full day’s practice on Tuesday but was “pretty sore” afterward. The quarterback and coach felt confident in his ability to play once they determined Clifford’s status was based on pain management with no structural damage.

It took four Penn State possessions to earn a first down and eventually put points on the board – a Jake Pinegar 41-yard field goal set up by 25- and 18-yard completions to tight end Theo Johnson.

By then, the boos quickly calmed.

They turned to overwhelming cheers when Clifford led scoring drives the next two times down the field.

Extra involvement from tight ends Johnson and Tyler Warren aided Clifford’s dynamic performance. As did a one-handed catch from Mitchell Tinsley. Sophomore receiver Parker Washington added a reliable performance catching seven of eight passes for 70 yards.

Clifford’s teammates endorsed his poise on the sideline. Johnson mentioned the quarterback lifts his teammates by framing adversity as internal mistakes. If it’s nothing the defense is doing to stop them, there’s an easier path to recovery.

“It’s just his competitive mindset and his experience,” Johnson said. “He’s been around and he’s been in so many different situations and environments. His experience gives him that edge. And his poise is one of the things I respect about him the most.

“He can throw an interception but he’s coming on the sideline telling everybody, ‘I got your back.’ When you [have] low points, they’re not low points when you have someone like that.”

Franklin drew comparisons to 2016 in the leadup to facing Minnesota. Then, and again this past weekend, Penn State lost at Michigan and beat the Golden Gophers in succession. The Nittany Lions won the Big Ten championship that year and earned a trip to the Rose Bowl.

“I thought last week [against Michigan] just wasn’t us,” Clifford said. “We had been playing so well and just a lot didn’t work or go in our favor. I thought this week we made it a very, very strong point to make plays when they’re there … just getting back to who we are.”