Penn State Football: 3 players who deserve a game ball in win vs Auburn

1. Sean Clifford, Quarterback

Coming into Saturday’s game, there were still questions about both Sean Clifford and Bo Nix and if they could lead their respective teams to win. Clifford left Saturday night outdueling his counterpart and having the best game of his career.

Clifford had a superb night going 28 of 32, racking up 280 yards in the process. He found Jahan Dotson for his first score of the night and hit Brenton Strange for his second. He also had a nice 20-yard run to keep a drive going.

Clifford did throw his first interception of the season near the end of the first half. Cannot blame him too much as he was trying to make a play and extend the Nittany Lions lead before halftime. He was drilled by the Auburn defender on the play and the ball’s trajectory was not where it should have been. Luckily for the Nittany Lions, not much harm came of it.

The redshirt senior was very impressive in the second half, going a perfect 12 for 12. Half of those completions went for first downs.

During the entire game, there was never a time where Clifford forced a ball or threw it into a dangerous spot. He protected the ball well and kudos to his offensive line for protecting him most of the night. Clifford had a lot of time in the pocket to go through his progressions.

Besides playing relatively mistake-free ball through three games, Clifford has corrected his happy feet problem. In his previous two seasons as a starter, he always appeared to zero in on one receiver and if the guy wasn’t open, he would start to dance around in the pocket or try to make a play with his legs. Now he keeps his eyes downfield and goes through his reads.

It was an outstanding night for Clifford. He did not just manage the game. He spread the ball around to seven different receivers and made plays when it counted. If this is the version of Clifford that shows up the rest of the season, the Penn State offense will go far.