Penn State Football: 3 takeaways from rivalry win over Pitt in Week 3

1. Sean Clifford was underwhelming in the victory

When Sean Clifford won the Penn State starting job, it led Tommy Stevens to take his talents to Mississippi State. But in his first test against a Power Five opponent, Clifford looked pedestrian against rival Pitt in front of a home crowd. He did just enough to keep Penn State in the game, ensuring they won by the slimmest of margins.

The redshirt sophomore completed fewer than 50 percent of his passes over the course of the afternoon, finishing 14-of-30 for 222 yards. He did not throw an interception, but he also failed to find the endzone either in the air or on the ground. Pitt managed to sack Clifford three times, and got pressure on him several other times throughout the game.

Clifford did manage to churn out one 13-yard run, but other than that play and his first-quarter throw to KJ Hamler that went for 53 yards there wasn’t much big-play potential from the quarterback. Given what Pickett was able to do through the air for Pitt, the rain can excuse only so much of Clifford’s play on Saturday.

Over the bye week, Franklin and the offensive staff will need to work with Clifford to make sure he is back on track for the showdown against the Terrapins. If he continues to play at a mediocre level, contending for the Big Ten East could end up a pipe dream.