UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Sean Clifford led Penn State to a terrific season in 2019, finishing 11-2 with a Cotton Bowl victory and No. 9 national ranking. With two more years left as the starting quarterback at that point, hopes and expectations for the young man's career were very high.
Unfortunately for Clifford and the Nittany Lions, those hopes and expectations just never materialized. Instead, it's been one disappointment after another.
When Penn State plays Rutgers on Saturday, it could be the final time Clifford takes the field at Beaver Stadium. We don't know yet if that will be the case, because Clifford does have one season of college eligibility remaining.
He may not even know yet if Saturday will be his final game at Beaver Stadium. He's been asked a couple of times in recent weeks about his future and has said each time that he hasn't given it much thought yet. He was not made available to the media either after last week's loss to Michigan or during interviews this week.
THE ESSENTIALS
• What: Penn State (6-4, 3-4 Big Ten) vs. Rutgers (5-5, 2-5 Big Ten)
• When: Saturday, noon
• Where: Beaver Stadium
• Forecast: 42°, mostly cloudy
• TV: BTN
• Satellite: Sirius XM 83, online 83
• Box score: ESPN
• Media notes: Penn State | Rutgers
James Franklin said Clifford was "beat up" during the game against the Wolverines after taking so many hits. He is, however, expected to play Saturday against Rutgers.
Clifford has been in college since 2017. He's already 23 years old. All players were granted an extra season of eligibility because of COVID in 2020, so Clifford could return for what would be his sixth season, and play as a 24-year-old.
Or, he could move on with his life, try his luck in the NFL or do whatever else he wants to do. He's not really an NFL prospect and would not be expected to get drafted if he does turn pro, but he could land in a camp somewhere and impress enough to hang around the league.
It really hasn't been discussed much, but it's possible Clifford could return for another season of college and decide to transfer elsewhere. He would be a valuable commodity in the transfer portal given all of his experience. But he loves Penn State, and his brother, Liam, is a receiver on the team, so the transfer possibility doesn't seem too likely.
One other factor in Clifford's decision could be NIL money. He's involved in a number of NIL deals this season, so getting paid to play another season of college football could beat his options of going pro where he would have no guarantees.
OTHERS ALSO FACE DECISIONS
There are a number of players on the team who could return for another season but yet may decide not to, thereby making Saturday their final home game.
Linebacker/end Jesse Luketa is one such player, and he said this week he will evaluate his options at the end of the season.
"It’s been quite a journey," Luketa said this week. "It’s gone by fast. Honestly, this past week has been so surreal for me, just looking back on my journey and just seeing wow, four years flew by just like that. But it’s been a great experience, my time at Penn State.”
Franklin said everything has changed with regards to senior day and knowing for sure which players will be playing their final home game.
"We had a number of guys that took part in the senior ceremony last year and then still decided to come back," Franklin said. "So, I think our staff as well as the players understand some guys may not walk with the intention on coming back. Some guys may walk and still haven’t made that decision yet until we sit down after the season and decide."
LIONS COULD BE SHORT-HANDED
Penn State has about a half-dozen players who have been dealing with virus or flu-like symptoms this week, Franklin said. It is not COVID related, the coach noted.
We'll have to wait and see exactly which players have been affected, whether they can play and how effective they will be.
Here's a look at my game breakdown:
OFFENSE
Penn State: Don't count on a strong running game to miraculously appear this week, although the Lions' running backs did have more success against Michigan. The Wolverines sacked Clifford seven times, so that killed the rushing total, but Penn State did finish with 109 yards on the ground. Hey, it's a start. It would be great to see Jahan Dotson go out with a monster game in his Beaver Stadium finale, with something like 11 or 12 catches. He has 80 on the season and is only 17 away from Allen Robinson's single-season school record of 97.
Rutgers: The Scarlet Knights don't do anything sexy -- they really never have -- but they do run the ball pretty well. They had 218 yards rushing in last week's 38-3 win at Indiana, while throwing for only 102 yards. QB Noah Vedral doesn't throw a bunch and has just seven TDs with five interceptions. He can take off and run and is the team's second-leading rusher with 267 yards this season. RB Isaih Pacheco leads the team with 554 yards rushing but averages just 3.8 per carry.
Advantage: Penn State
DEFENSE
Penn State: The Lions usually don't have trouble with one-dimensional offenses, but Illinois (357 yards rushing) was an exception. Rutgers actually won at Illinois, 20-14, a few weeks ago, by the way. On senior day, expect the defense to have an outstanding game, especially against this offense.
Rutgers: This is the strength of the team, as the Scarlet Knights are capable of playing well. Now, they did give up 52 points to Wisconsin, so take anything you hear about the defense with a grain of salt.
Advantage: Penn State
COACHING/INTANGIBLES
Penn State: Could this possibly be James Franklin's final game at Beaver Stadium? It's possible, and we'll finally get some answers about his future soon enough after next week's regular-season finale. Look for Franklin and the seniors to want a memorable day, so it wouldn't be a surprise if the Lions come out and throttle Rutgers. Then again, with their poor running game, that's tough to do.
Rutgers: This team certainly would love to come in and shock Penn State, which hasn't happened since 1988. The Scarlet Knights could take a massive step forward in their program, which coach Greg Schiano is well aware of coming into the game. The issue, though, is that Rutgers' offense just isn't very good, and it's going up against a really good Penn State defense.
Advantage: Penn State
PREDICTION
Unless Penn State really has major issues with key players out sick for this game, the Lions should come out with a comfortable win on senior day. But that 17.5-point spread seems too high given how these teams usually play messy games.
Penn State 26, Rutgers 16
