Pete Thamel reveals status of quarterbacks Tanner Morgan, Sean Clifford for Minnesota at Penn State
Pete Thamel provided some insight into the status of quarterbacks Tanner Morgan and Sean Clifford as both look to lead their team to victory in a huge Big Ten showdown between Minnesota and Penn State.
First, both quarterbacks have been the leader of their respective teams for the last couple seasons, but Saturday could be the final matchup between the two. The Golden Gophers have been hoping Morgan would be healthy enough to start against the Nittany Lions, while Penn State believes they dodged a bullet after Clifford left last weekend’s game against Michigan injured.
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“Both are going to be game-time decisions tonight in State College,” explained Thamel via College GameDay. “For Tanner Morgan, he suffered a concussion against Illinois, I’ve been told by sources he’s somewhere between questionable and doubtful. If he doesn’t go, expect Athan Kaliakmanis to make his debut. He’s a four-star recruit, the future of the Minnesota program, tough debut tonight.
“Sean Clifford is also a game-time decision. He practiced this week, I would expect him to try to tough it out and go. He has a better shot to play than Morgan.”
On the season thus far, Morgan has passed for 1,164 yards and seven touchdowns, while Clifford has thrown for 1,150 yards and nine touchdowns. If the Minnesota quarterback can’t go, Thamel mentioned it’ll be Athan Kaliakmanis, while highly-touted recruit Drew Allar would step in for Penn State.
Nevertheless, both Minnesota and Penn State lost last weekend, but big dreams are still on the mind of both programs. Each team will want their star quarterback on the field, but time will tell if either of them play come Saturday night.
James Franklin not worried about preparing for Minnesota with uncertain QB status
Alas, Penn State’s James Franklin is not worried about the Golden Gophers’ quarterback situation while preparing for Minnesota. His familiarity with their offense gives him confidence in Penn State’s game plan and possibly an advantage.
“No, because we know the offensive coordinator very well and what they’re going to do and how they’re going to operate. You look at him; he’s got a very clear identity of who he’s been, kind of wherever he’s been,” said Franklin. “And what they do, they do a really good job. So, whether he’s in the game or not, we got a pretty good idea of how they’re gonna operate.
“… But it’s no different than when we played them last time. They’re gonna have a blitz that we haven’t seen they’re gonna have blitz beaters that maybe they have it run up to this point. But 95 percent of the gameplan is going to be what we have seen, with a few little wrinkles to keep us honest.”
Whether it’s Tanner Morgan or another individual under center, Penn State’s focus should be primarily on stopping the golden Gophers rushing offense. On the season, Minnesota has more yards on the ground (1,367 to 1,289) and nearly triples their touchdown count (20 to 7) when comparing their rushing and passing statistics.
If the Nittany Lions and Franklin can stop the run, they should have no problem picking up the victory on Saturday.