Penn State Football: 3 reasons Nittany Lions beat Indiana

3. This is the good version of Sean Clifford

Coming into this season, there were big questions about quarterback Sean Clifford and whether he could lead the Nittany Lions. A third of the way through the regular season and Clifford is playing some of his best football of his career.

The senior quarterback is certainly out this season to prove last year was an anomaly, not only for himself but the whole team. The new offense under offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich has sparked Clifford. Things started slow in the first half against Wisconsin and have taken off since.

Clifford’s stats tell the tale. He has completed over 71 percent of his passes for 1,158 yards and eight touchdowns. He has thrown two interceptions and neither one his fault. The first against Auburn came at the end of the first half while he was being hit hard by an Auburn defender. The second turnover was against Villanova on a perfectly thrown ball that was bobbled by his receiver and tipped up into the air.

In addition to the stats, you can see the change in Clifford as he stands in the pocket. Kudos to the Nittany Lion offensive line for giving him plenty of time to work on most plays. With the additional time, Clifford has been keeping his eyes down field, going through his progressions and not always looking to bail as he had done in his previous seasons.

While the Penn State running game as struggled most of this season, Clifford has far made up for it with his arm. As long as he is playing well, the Nittany Lion offense should be in good shape. They have the better quarterback and receivers versus the Hoosiers and should take advantage.