Penn State RBs coach Ja'Juan Seider: Iowa, Illinois games would have been 'different story' with healthy Sean Clifford

[DavidEckert]

Also plenty of run game discussion included here:

Penn State RBs coach Ja'Juan Seider: Iowa, Illinois games would be 'different story' with healthy Sean Clifford

Penn State football RBs coach Ja'Juan Seider said PSU's losses to Illinois and Iowa would have been different with a healthy Sean Clifford

www.on3.com

 

[NittPicker]

I know coaches like to have a positive outlook and I agree the Iowa and Illinois games very likely would have been a different story with a healthy Clifford. OTOH, you play the hand you're dealt and Clifford wasn't healthy. What his injury exposed was the lack of depth/development in the QB room as well as the staff's inability to use the backup effectively. There should always be a contingency plan if the starter gets hurt. If the backup has a different skill set then there should be a set of plays ready to use in the event the backup needs to take over in a pinch. And I'm not talking about a whole different full game plan for the backup but rather a handful of basic plays within the offense suited for him and the opponent in question. That would have applied to the Iowa game.

The Illinois game was just a total coaching failure. Two weeks to produce that garbage? Sure, Clifford wasn't 100% but that doesn't explain all the other failures on both sides of the ball. I think it was a case of the staff thinking all they had to do to beat Illinois was show up. They didn't count on the Illini actually trying to win the game.

 

[Midnighter]

Seider is right, but should he say this…? Looks bad from a coach IMO…

 

[PSURockville]

Why not say it? What looks bad? He was asked about recruits looking at the program differently and stated that they know Penn State is playing tough - implied that recruits are smart. I loved the answer. Seider is a great interview.

 

[Midnighter]

Why not say it? What looks bad? He was asked about recruits looking at the program differently and stated that they know Penn State is playing tough - implied that recruits are smart. I loved the answer. Seider is a great interview.

We can’t beat Illinois without Clifford? Might be true - but pretty sad if the case given the massive talent disparity all over the field. Looks like an excuse. Works for Iowa - Illinois not so much.

 

[DCLion11]

We can’t beat Illinois without Clifford? Might be true - but pretty sad if the case given the massive talent disparity all over the field. Looks like an excuse. Works for Iowa - Illinois not so much.

I agree. Sure there is truth to what he is saying but dont really like coaches making excuses, particularly when the unit he is coaching has massively underperformed. If we had a running game we wouldn’t have to rely on Clifford so much. Every team deals with injuries and coaches jobs unfortunately are to deal with the hands they are dealt. We should have beat Iowa with how our defense played.

 

[PSU Chicago]

It’s true. Let’s not overthink it as fans. On to MD and we need a W

 

[JayWye]

Also plenty of run game discussion included here:

Penn State RBs coach Ja'Juan Seider: Iowa, Illinois games would be 'different story' with healthy Sean Clifford

Penn State football RBs coach Ja'Juan Seider said PSU's losses to Illinois and Iowa would have been different with a healthy Sean Clifford

www.on3.com

Seider is right, of course. But those losses would also have been wins with a half-way capable backup. Which begs the question, again, as to why we didn't have one.

 

[Tom McAndrew]

Which begs the question, again, as to why we didn't have one.

I feel like this has been a month-long argument. The expected backup is starting for Kentucky after taking advantage of the portal. PSU tried to land a replacement via the portal, but nothing worked for both them and the other party. And while it would have been nice for TR and CV to get more reps with the ones, PSU was installing a new offensive system under MY, so they had to pick who got reps. Until this offseason, TR was #3 on the charts, so he wasn't getting many reps with the first or second team. And CV, due to COVID, hasn't played a regulation football game in a couple of years.

PSU just got caught a little thin at backup QB, and Cliff's injury against Iowa exposed this weakness.

 

[blion72]

I feel like this has been a month-long argument. The expected backup is starting for Kentucky after taking advantage of the portal. PSU tried to land a replacement via the portal, but nothing worked for both them and the other party. And while it would have been nice for TR and CV to get more reps with the ones, PSU was installing a new offensive system under MY, so they had to pick who got reps. Until this offseason, TR was #3 on the charts, so he wasn't getting many reps with the first or second team. And CV, due to COVID, hasn't played a regulation football game in a couple of years.

PSU just got caught a little thin at backup QB, and Cliff's injury against Iowa exposed this weakness.

Plus we lost Micah Bowens to OU in transfer, and earlier had lost M Johnson to one of the Florida programs. We have no idea how they would have been, but at least more QBs would have given more options.

even as we sit here today, I am not sure that Clifford is back 100% now. he does not make many long passes effectively, and he is not running much.

 

[91Joe95]

A healthy Clifford would have made a difference. The problem is the qb is the best runner, and that is a problem. The staff needs to find ways to lower the number of hits he takes, not increase them, especially with such a massive drop-off in talent behind him.

 

[BW Lion]

We can’t beat Illinois without Clifford? Might be true - but pretty sad if the case given the massive talent disparity all over the field. Looks like an excuse. Works for Iowa - Illinois not so much.

I interpret it as a sign that the coaches are feeling more than a bit of deserved heat and are trying to spin their way out of it....like trying to polish a turd.

 

[Connorpozlee]

I feel like this has been a month-long argument. The expected backup is starting for Kentucky after taking advantage of the portal. PSU tried to land a replacement via the portal, but nothing worked for both them and the other party. And while it would have been nice for TR and CV to get more reps with the ones, PSU was installing a new offensive system under MY, so they had to pick who got reps. Until this offseason, TR was #3 on the charts, so he wasn't getting many reps with the first or second team. And CV, due to COVID, hasn't played a regulation football game in a couple of years.

PSU just got caught a little thin at backup QB, and Cliff's injury against Iowa exposed this weakness.

You would like to think even a third string QB could get a snap off.

 

[Got GSPs]

Seider is right, but should he say this…? Looks bad from a coach IMO…

I think it’s bad form to blame injuries right after the game, but if you are addressing the season as a whole it’s not as much as an excuse. I would say that we should still have beaten Illinois with a back up QB.

 

[Nitt1300]

Speaking the truth is never a bad thing

 

[OuiRPSU]

There is NO excuse for not being able to score on however many 2-point conversions we whiffed on. I’d bet even a D2 school with a backup quarterback would have won that game.

 

[PSURockville]

We can’t beat Illinois without Clifford? Might be true - but pretty sad if the case given the massive talent disparity all over the field. Looks like an excuse. Works for Iowa - Illinois not so much.

Did you watch the Seider interview or just read a quote out of context? Not an excuse at all - it was part of answer to a question regarding any change in messaging to recruits during a losing streak. Seider accepted a lot of accountability for his room through the overall interview. I suggest you watch the interview of you have not. Seider is a recruiter and is recruiting.

 

[BW Lion]

Did you watch the Seider interview or just read a quote out of context? Not an excuse at all - it was part of answer to a question regarding any change in messaging to recruits during a losing streak. Seider accepted a lot of accountability for his room through the overall interview. I suggest you watch the interview of you have not. Seider is a recruiter and is recruiting.

Seider had better hope the losing streak ends at 3 games... he could very well become the most recent victim of Franklin's growing and undeniable record of "sacrificial casualties" amongst his coaching underlings... through deflection comes job preservation..

 

[Psu00]

There was a 2 part problem, both equally culpable.

First were the coaches who didn’t have a competent backup QB in place. With Levis in the portal, and Clifford’s tendency to run risking injuries, there’s no excuse to not have a serviceable backup QB. No one was expecting him to be Joe Montana, but when he can’t even get a snap off or make basic throws……..

Second, is squarely on Roberson. He knew the QB situation and he’s been in the program for 3 years. He was not prepared to play at all. You know it’s really bad when the coaches trotted out an injured Clifford, who couldn’t run or throw, against a bad Illinois team rather than put in Roberson who had 2 weeks to get ready.

 

[MacNit]

I know coaches like to have a positive outlook and I agree the Iowa and Illinois games very likely would have been a different story with a healthy Clifford. OTOH, you play the hand you're dealt and Clifford wasn't healthy. What his injury exposed was the lack of depth/development in the QB room as well as the staff's inability to use the backup effectively. There should always be a contingency plan if the starter gets hurt. If the backup has a different skill set then there should be a set of plays ready to use in the event the backup needs to take over in a pinch. And I'm not talking about a whole different full game plan for the backup but rather a handful of basic plays within the offense suited for him and the opponent in question. That would have applied to the Iowa game.

The Illinois game was just a total coaching failure. Two weeks to produce that garbage? Sure, Clifford wasn't 100% but that doesn't explain all the other failures on both sides of the ball. I think it was a case of the staff thinking all they had to do to beat Illinois was show up. They didn't count on the Illini actually trying to win the game.

If ifs and buts were candy and nuts…pathetic failure against Illinois.

 

[gogolion]

Why not say it? What looks bad? He was asked about recruits looking at the program differently and stated that they know Penn State is playing tough - implied that recruits are smart. I loved the answer. Seider is a great interview.

Agreed. Folks complain when coaches dance around issues, then they complain when a coach finally tells it like it is. You just can't win

 

[gogolion]

We can’t beat Illinois without Clifford? Might be true - but pretty sad if the case given the massive talent disparity all over the field. Looks like an excuse. Works for Iowa - Illinois not so much.

Well, we'll never know because the coaches decided to play Clifford rather than Roberson. Based on what Roberson did against Iowa I find it hard to believe they couldn't get him prepared enough to beat a weak Illinois team at home. Heck, his biggest problem in the Iowa game was the false starts. We wouldn't have that problem at home.

 

[fastlax16]

Yes they win both with a healthy Clifford, potentially OSU as well.

The Illinois game still should never have happened and there is no excuse for it. They should have been able to line up Tyler Warren in the wildcat the entire game and still won.

 

[bbrown]

Yes they win both with a healthy Clifford, potentially OSU as well.

The Illinois game still should never have happened and there is no excuse for it. They should have been able to line up Tyler Warren in the wildcat the entire game and still won.

Hell I would have tried Dotson as QB at that point.