Given that Sean Clifford is returning for a 6th year - how do you see QB being handled?
- Thread starter blion72
- Start date
Easy big fella, put down the drink, no one is ever going to confuse Clifford for a Heisman candidate, kid is the epitome of an average QB.
Clifford bleeds blue and white and has given PSU everything he has. For that, I appreciate him and applaud him. However, he has major limitations to his game and has probably hit his ceiling. He is inconsistent, fails to see the entire field therefore missing blatantly open receivers, doesn’t feel pressure or feels it when it isn’t there, and somehow seems to move into pressure. He is a smart kid and probably realizes he will never play on Sundays, so he is taking advantage of another year at PSU and most likely pursuing a post graduate education that will serve him well in the future. Good for him. The fact of the matter is, if Franklin truly wants to see this team improve and move forward, the QB competition should be wide open beginning today. Villeaux has looked poised, decisive, accurate, and reasonably mobile in his limited playing time. Allar and Pribula will be on campus soon. All should get a serious look. The one with the best chance of leading the team to victory should play without any question.
Have to chuckle at some responses here stating possibly CV or freshmen QB's beating out Cliff and perhaps he hits the portal. Dream on boys. Cliff is not a good QB and Franklin will stay with him anyway. He continually throws over or behind receivers. Yesterday he over threw a wide open TE in the endzone. That easy pitch that he screwed up would have given us a 17-7 lead, The 2nd int. play, you know the one where he stared down the back corner of the endzone and then threw it there into double coverage. Meanwhile the RB that motioned to the top of the screen was wide open, no defender in sight. On that same play #44 was wide open over the middle. Either receiver scores a TD that would have got us to 24 points. But Cliff doesn't even look at them. That's what you get with a healthy Clifford. Then when he gets hurt next year(and he will, happens every year)he will be even worse or the back up gets in poorly prepared because Cliff gets all the reps in practice.
That's what you get with Cliff and thus, next year will be the same.
And the run game. We keep bringing in OL coaches that have had success elsewhere but don't get the job done at PSU. Why? Maybe, since we always see the opposing linemen manhandling our guys, its time to look at S&C coaches and say: why aren't PSU lineman as strong or better than the competition:? Ask our O co-ord, to have other running plays than the up the middle play
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No way. Even if given a better o-line, he’d still complete about 50% of his throws and miss open receivers down field. He has no touch on his deep throws. He’s gritty, tough, and a leader. Go back and read the evaluations on him coming out of St. X. They are 100% accurate. Tough kid, great leadership skills, poor mechanics and little accuracy.
I get it. Talent wise, he is incredibly average for a college QB. The only help he had this season was Dotson making ridiculous catches. He would look much better with competent o line play.
My point is a solid line covers a lot of warts. An elite QB can cover a lot of warts. Penn State has neither.
Heck wont take that many games he got hurt yesterday after Franklin declared him healthier than before the Iowa game. The bad thing will be Franklin will play him injured
He’s a career 60.4% passer…but with a better oline, he’d complete about 50%? Interesting.
Didn’t a blitzer come through untouched on that play? You really think he had time to get through his progressions and get to any secondary reads? It was a bad place to throw the ball and better to eat it for the sack, but not sure how he would have found a RB on the other side of the field on that one.
Yes he is not a 50% passer. But with a better offensive line, I bet he would be a 60.4% passer.
Badly. I don’t see the staff handling this any better than they have the last 5 years or so.
Throw in above avg athlete and there you go.. Kid is what he is, I hope I'm wrong, but I don't see much difference coming next season, especially if the O line can't run block. A true freshman isn't going to supplant him either, we are stuck with one more season, I just hope the heir apparent gets some work as well.
Not unless his accuracy improves. He missed wide open WR and TE’s all year it was especially bad yesterday.
Can't speak to his time at Vanderbilt but there certainly seems to be no indication from Franklin's history at PSU to suggest an incoming freshman will supplant a starting QB.
Outside of those 10-12 guys, who would you take over Clifford? Thought so.
I think its only fair to CV and Allar to have the opportunity to compete to start with SC for season opener of next year, Go from there.
But he doesn't put a time frame for when it will get fixed. At current rate, it might be 11 years from now.
Right after he threatens to leave again and gets another new contract, maybe he will actually be bothered enough to build a team.
what would happen if these 4 QBs = SC, CV, DA and PB transferred to Bama, and all were in competition for the position at Bama who just lost Bryce? Would you see that being handled differently than we would see at Penn State? Pick any other school and fill in the blanks.
Yurcich needs to pick the QB and who gets what reps, he's the OC/QB coach. Hopefully he gets that opportunity
Assuming it’s a whole new offense and personnel, then it might be closer…but bring in a true freshman to compete with a multi-year starter that knows the offense and personnel, and that’s quite a steep hill to climb.