Trusting Sean Clifford paid off for Penn State

PASADENA, Calif. — Penn State’s official Rose Bowl media day had just begun when a scrum surrounded a young man at a far table.

“Who’s that sitting there, the starting quarterback?” joked a defensive lineman at the next table over, looking at the crowd forming around Drew Allar.

Eventually, yes. That is the assumption, and the reason for the rush toward Allar, who will be the man as soon as the Rose Bowl’s final whistle sounds. Since this was the first time Penn State’s freshmen were allowed to talk to the media in-season, Allar naturally drew a crowd, seemingly handling questions as easily as he does a pass rush.

“Definitely glad I got to play as much as I did,” said Allar, not the type to create headlines off the field.

» READ MORE: Drew Allar was destined to next up for Penn State

The way the media day was set up was kind of a metaphor for Monday’s Rose Bowl, Penn State taking on Utah. The 2022 mainstays were at little podiums around the perimeter of the tent … PJ Mustipher and Ji’Ayir Brown at one end, the actual starting QB, Sean Clifford, near the entrance.

It was the new guys correctly attracting more attention from Penn State’s traveling press corps. What more could the old guys say?

That’s the way the bowls work, too. Fans already are looking ahead, wondering about the next crop of stars. Meanwhile, 2022 defensive ace Joey Porter Jr. opted out of the bowl, joining the trend of NFL-ready players starting their pre-draft prep a little earlier.

» READ MORE: A bigger Penn State role than expected for freshman Drew Shelton

All that is how a flawed system works … until the 12-team college playoff kicks into gear in 2024. Don’t look for top players opting out of that.

Just make no mistake — this Rose Bowl goes in the 2022 column. Zero reason for Nittany Lions coaches to look past it.

That brings us to one of the big decisions James Franklin had to make this season. When Penn State lost to Ohio State, dropping the Nittany Lions out of Big Ten and national title contention, would Penn State’s head coach stick with Clifford at starter or look to the future and anoint his special freshman the new signal-caller?

History already tells us that Franklin made the correct call, since Penn State hasn’t lost since that Ohio State game, and Clifford had plenty to do with that.

If half of the state, and half of us media types, had thought after Ohio State … yo, play the freshman … what does Clifford say about that?

He frames it this way: “I’m not going to take advice from you, the same way you’re not going to take advice from me on [journalism], right?”

That wasn’t being cocky. He said he listens to teammates, to his coaches, of course. (By the way, if Clifford tells you to use fewer adverbs, listen to him.) Very proud of this team, he said, of the 10 wins, of being at this Rose Bowl. He talked about how being on that field as a fifth-grader at an elite quarterback camp ignited his own dreams.

“It was definitely pivotal in my development,” Clifford said. “Not even from the camp. Just seeing what the biggest stages are, what the Rose Bowl really stands for. Being out here, being able to really take it in …”

He’s still trying to do that.

“It’s surreal, it really is,” Clifford said. “I think it’s really starting to set in, seeing the patches, how clean it is. It’s just a beautiful game and a beautiful logo, too, honestly. Just the meaning behind what that rose stands for, the games that have been played before it.”

One facet of Clifford’s development: He’s more comfortable this season elaborating on his thoughts. There’s more meat on the bone when you talk to him.

“We were watching a highlight of some of the best plays in the Rose Bowl, and Vince Young ran in,” Clifford said. “I vividly, vividly remember watching that play happen, and to say that I’m going to be playing in the same game as the greats like that, I can’t express enough how excited I am.”

» READ MORE: Rose Bowl is a stadium for memory making

Vince Young’s Rose Bowl run for a national title was in 2006, a reminder of how old Clifford is. He turned 24 in July. Drew Allar hadn’t turned 2 years old yet. History started later for him.

Makes sense Clifford is reflecting back. He’s got one of the longest memory banks in Penn State history, since this is his sixth season at the school, his fourth as starter. It’s interesting to remember that he was honorable mention All-Big Ten in 2019.

“Just being able to look back, especially during the downtime, during the Christmas time,” Clifford said. “We were actually going through my parents’ TV — it’s an old TV, and they recorded all the games, so we just went back and watched a bunch of them.”

He didn’t have to wait until he was an old man himself to relish the memory of a Michigan “White Out” game in 2019.

“That one stood out, but the list goes on and on, games from this year, games from 2019, even games from 2018 when I was just getting a snap or two, just being able to be out there,” Clifford said.

He’s hoping for an NFL future, and has a Hula Bowl invite to help prove himself to scouting doubters. But let’s assume Clifford’s biggest slice of history will always be what he did in a Penn State jersey. (That’s true for plenty of players who make it in the NFL.)

» READ MORE: Is this Penn State season a success?

Put Clifford in the respected category of Nittany Lions QBs, all over the record book for career passing accomplishments, but short of legendary status, since Penn State hasn’t won enough of the really big ones in his tenure.

Beyond understanding how special it is to finish things off at the Rose Bowl, and never losing the trust of his coaches and teammates, Clifford has one more chance for history ... before the next man starts his own era.