Ohio State Football: Is Sean Clifford ready for the Buckeyes?

Penn State QB Sean Clifford is tasked with having to beat the No. 2 ranked Ohio State football team on Saturday afternoon. Is he up for the challenge?

Sean Clifford, who the Ohio State football team will face on Saturday, is having a great season for the Penn State Nittany Lions. Taking over for Penn State legend Trace McSorely, the sophomore from Cincinnati has been putting up some impressive numbers thus far: 2,450 passing yards, 22 touchdowns and 6 interceptions.

He also has a total QBR of 80, which is good enough for 11th in the nation.

So why are Penn State fans not warming up to Clifford? He’s even reportedly been receiving death threats, according to the Star Tribune. That is no joking matter, how grown adults can even think about sending a 20-year-old kid a threat over a football game is disgusting and absurd.

For as well as Clifford played early in the season, his last two games have been pedestrian to say the least. Last week versus Indiana he only completed 47.8 percent of his passes. In Penn State’s lone loss to Minnesota he threw three interceptions. If the Nittany Lions want to upset the Scarlet and Gray, Clifford is going to have to play better than that.

So the question remains, is he up for the challenge? Clifford’s’ high school coach Steve Specht from Cincinnati St. Xavier seems to think so. This is what he said to Cleveland.com:

"“Sean wants to tear your heart out, whether it’s a football game or playing checkers. That’s just how he’s wired… It’s who he is at the core of it. That cat is going to plan and prepare as if this was his last game.”"

By all accounts from coaches and teammates, Clifford is a gutsy, fiery competitor. That edge will help him because he’s going to be under duress all day from OSU defensive end Chase Young and company.

In order to beat Ohio State, Clifford is going to have to make some explosive plays down the field, something not many teams have been able to do against this secondary. He’s going to have to make big-time throws from the pocket too and probably take some shots from the pass rush in doing so.

More importantly though, Clifford is going to need use his legs to get out of the pocket and make timely decisions on the run, whether it’s running around to find open receivers or getting first downs with his feet.

The bottom line is that this game for Penn State depends upon Clifford stepping up and playing his best game of the season. And with the Nittany Lions best receiver in K.J. Hamler questionable for the game with an injury, Clifford’s job may get that much harder.

Is he up for the challenge of playing against one of the country’s best defenses with over 100,000 people cheering against him? I guess we will find out at around noon on Saturday afternoon.