Born in Illinois, Sean Clifford was “never specifically an Ohio State fan,” even upon moving to Ohio and playing high school football at Cincinnati’s St. Xavier.
After standing on the sideline for five straight Nittany Lion losses to the Buckeyes and starting the last three under center, the Penn State passer’s passion for scarlet and gray isn’t likely to have grown over the past half-decade.
Clifford gets his fourth and final shot to knock off the Buckeyes at home this weekend, but just because his previous efforts haven’t resulted in a Penn State win doesn’t mean Ohio State isn’t threatened by what the sixth-year quarterback and Nittany Lion pass attack bring to the table.
“(It’s) a big challenge. The combination of quarterback and wide receiver will be the biggest challenge so far,” Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said at his Tuesday press conference at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. “They're good, a good collection of talent. Running backs, wide receivers, tight ends and the quarterback.”
Statistically speaking, the Penn State passing game isn’t exactly nationally elite. With an average of 245.1 passing yards per game through seven contests, the Nittany Lions rank 63rd in the nation. But that’s still better than any unit Ohio State – which ranks No. 3 in the FBS against the pass – has taken on this season.
Ohio State is fresh off of holding Iowa to 81 yards through the air and just a few weeks removed from limiting Rutgers to 80 passing yards. But the Hawkeyes and Scarlet Knights rank 122nd and 119th in average passing yards, respectively.
Even while lauding his defense's performance, which caused six turnovers against Iowa this past weekend, defensive coordinator Jim Knowles admitted that Ohio State’s cornerbacks weren’t challenged that much.
“I mean, they looked fine to me. I don't think we got tested very often on the edges or downfield,” Knowles said. “But they were competing the whole game.”
Clifford has had success against Ohio State before, although it hasn’t resulted in a Nittany Lion win. In the Buckeyes' 38-25 win in 2020, Clifford threw for 281 yards and three touchdowns while Penn State outscored Ohio State 19-17 in the second half. Last season, Clifford had 361 yards and a score in a nine-point Nittany Lion loss.
"He is a guy who has played a lot of football. They have a lot of guys who have a lot of snaps under their belt. They've seen so many different things and you know that makes him dangerous in and of itself,” Day said. “But he's tough. He's really good throwing the ball. He's accurate. He's made a lot of plays in his career with his feet and arm, so any time we play Penn State, and certainly with Clifford, we know that they're really good, and they can attack in many different ways. He is a very good player, and we have a lot of respect."
Both performances featured huge games from star wideout Jahan Dotson, who went on to be selected in the first round of this past spring’s NFL draft. Clifford won’t have Dotson at his disposal this year, but Penn State’s receiving corps still might be the best Ohio State has faced this season.
“It definitely does new things. As a unit, they're extremely aggressive. They do a really good job of fitting runs. I think that their font is very stout, athletic and big. They cause a lot of problems up front."– Sean Clifford on Jim Knowles' OSU defense
Third-year wideout Parker Washington headlines the group with a team-leading 30 grabs for 388 yards this season, and he knows a thing or two about making big plays against the Buckeyes as well. The standout slot receiver had four catches for 73 yards as a true freshman against Ohio State, and last year Washington hauled in nine balls for 108 yards.
Mitchell Tinsley, a 6-foot-1 transfer from Western Kentucky, has 28 catches for 340 yards and four scores, which is tied with 6-foot-4 tight end Brenton Strange for the team lead in touchdown grabs.
But none of those Nittany Lions have played an Ohio State defense led by Knowles, and Clifford said he’d seen a difference on tape.
“It definitely does new things. As a unit, they're extremely aggressive,” Clifford said on a Zoom call with media members this week. “They do a really good job of fitting runs. I think that their font is very stout, athletic and big. They cause a lot of problems up front. And then from a linebacker perspective, they're really gap sound. They play really well together. And then their DBs are as good as anybody. So I think that from a defensive perspective and a scheme perspective, they offer a lot of challenging looks. And that's exciting for sure, just to be able to have this opportunity to have this challenge. Definitely excited.”
In turn, Knowles had plenty of good things to say about the longtime Nittany Lion signal-caller when asked about Clifford during his Tuesday interview session.
“The quarterback is veteran. He's very smart. He's good at reading what you're doing, delivering the ball. He's tough, hangs in there. He can scramble,” Knowles said. “I mean, he's just a really good quarterback. He's an operator. And the receivers, they're skillful and they can go up and win a lot of 50/50 balls. They're good route runners. I just think that whole operation will be a challenge for us.”
Clifford has hardly been all-world in his sixth season. His 1,445 passing yards rank ninth among Big Ten quarterbacks, his 146.1 passer rating slots in at seventh and his 13 touchdown passes are only sixth-best in the conference. Still, Clifford and the Penn State pass attack are more capable of giving the Buckeyes a run for their money than just about any opposing unit they’ve faced so far.
In his final crack at the Buckeyes, and in his own backyard no less, Clifford has an opportunity to create a defining moment for his Nittany Lion legacy – even if he’s not thinking about it as such, and even if oddsmakers don’t expect it to materialize.
“You just take it as strictly business and an opportunity to win a game. I reflect after games and appreciate the moment, but at the same time, when you're in the moment you gotta focus and have that mentality to win,” Clifford said. “So I think that sometimes it's tough to really reflect, but at the same time, I'm very appreciative of all the games that I've been able to be a part of and excited for this one.”
