ALTOONA, Pa. -- Goodness, this hit was vicious. It looked bad live, then on replay looked like ... well, if we're being honest, it looked like an annihilation assassination.
Here's the replay:
Sean Clifford just took one of the biggest hits I’ve ever seen a college quarterback take. Good lord: pic.twitter.com/9oJBTcQJ0j
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) September 17, 2022
But instead of being knocked out cold, as one might have expected, Sean Clifford got back up, stayed in the game and actually ran a quarterback sneak on the next play trying to convert a 4th-and-1.
Now, the play call on that 4th-and-1 was incredibly dumb, given that Clifford had just been destroyed by Auburn's Owen Pappoe. Clifford was stopped on the ensuing QB keeper, Auburn took over on downs and went on to kick a field goal for a 3-0 lead.
Of course, Penn State went on to thrash the Tigers, 41-12, and Clifford being able to keep playing in the game was a big factor in all of that.
For all the things we can say about Clifford's struggles throughout his career, no one can question the guy's toughness. The play above is as good of an example of that as you'll find.
James Franklin was asked about the hit on Clifford after the game and didn't seem to make much of it.
"He popped right up. He's taken some big hits in his career. He's a tough kid," the coach said.
But Franklin admitted Wednesday that he wasn't fully aware of just how big of a hit Clifford took on that play. It wasn't until he was able to watch a replay on his phone afterward that the coach realized Clifford took a massive blow.
"That was a big shot," Franklin told the media after practice. "To be honest with you, you guys asked me after the game, and I was like, I knew it was a good hit. But it was one of those hits like, when I watched the replays on the bus on my phone on the way home, I was like, that was more significant than I realized. Because when the ball came out, my eyes went to the ball. I'm just being totally honest with you guys. But watching that, that was that was a significant hit.
"I did make a big deal out of that with the team because I feel like we're starting to create an identity as a tough and physical team. And I know that may not seem to align with that play, but the way Sean just bounced right back up right after that, to me, was impressive. He took their best shot and bounced right back up."
Here's what Clifford said of the hit after the game:
"That dude definitely rocked me. I saw the video, too. It looked even worse than it felt. But it's football, we take hits. That one was definitely a huge, but at the same time, you gotta get back up and keep fighting."
Which is exactly what Clifford did. And it impressed the guy who did the hitting.
“Salute to him, getting up from a hard hit like that,” Auburn's Pappoe said after the game. “He was actually about to slide, so I pulled up and didn’t give him all I had.”
Football is a game where one hit can change the entire season for a team. Penn State knows that as well as any team, and so do Lions fans.
Clifford and Penn State were playing great last year, 5-0 and No. 4 in the country with a 14-3 lead at No. 3 Iowa, then everything changed on this hit by Jack Campbell.
The hit by Jack Campbell that knocked Sean Clifford out of the game pic.twitter.com/M2i4ArEX7d https://t.co/d14GQX1zCF
— Barstool Iowa (@BarstoolUIowa) October 12, 2021
The backup QB that day, Ta'Quan Roberson, wasn't remotely close to being ready to play, and Penn State wound up losing, 23-20. Clifford returned to play two weeks later but wasn't the same against Illinois, and the Lions lost an embarrassing 20-18 game in nine overtimes. They limped to the finish line, going 2-6 after the 5-0 start.
Keeping Clifford healthy this season should be a major focal point, but obviously he simply cannot take more hits like the one above. He also got rolled up on his left leg in the opener at Purdue, but thankfully that didn't result in an injury. Again, the playcalling after that hit was bizarre, as Clifford was called upon to try a 2-yard QB sneak at the goal line, which did work thanks to a strong push behind him, but still.
Clifford showed a quick trigger to take off and run a good bit the past two seasons, surely feeling like he had to do whatever he could with a bad running game. But this year the running game looks to be much improved, and Clifford has not been running as much, even in some situations where he could have picked up yardage.
The big difference between this season and last is that Penn State has a capable backup quarterback who can step in and play if something does happen to Clifford. They actually have two who could play -- Drew Allar and Christian Veilleux.
We've already seen Allar play in all three games, including a strong showing with two TD passes against Ohio in week two. The prized freshman has done everything right so far, leading to a question for Franklin on Wednesday about what areas the young man still might be working on to improve.
The coach didn't want to get into specifics on that, however, and rightfully so given his answer.
"Yeah, it's a fair question, and it's a good question," Franklin said. "It's not a question I'm comfortable talking about right now, because if I bring those things up and he goes to the game, and I'm the team we're playing, I'm gonna do those things.
"But obviously, a lot of it is a rep thing with him. He needs to gain as much experience as possible. It's fairly unusual that we're at this situation -- especially with the type of schedule that we have played -- that he's been able to play in every game. So there's a ton of value from that. But more than anything, it's just practice reps and game reps and experience."
NEWS AND NOTES
* Franklin said he's "not sure yet" if running back Keyvone Lee will play Saturday against Central Michigan. Lee was banged up at Auburn with a leg injury and did return to the game.
* What kind of coach is Franklin to work for? He was asked that good question and gave a pretty insightful answer.
"That's probably not a question for me," he said. "It's probably a question for those guys. But I think I'm demanding, I think I'm fair. I think the guys that we typically hire, I'm going to provide a level of freedom because I brought them here for a reason -- experienced, seasoned, veteran guys. But I'm also going to sometimes bring things up that I want them to consider, and then there's going to be a few times where I'm gonna say we're doing this, and this is why.
"That's probably how I would describe it overall. But I would also say, I think it's really important that you're transparent about those things before you hire them, so they know what they've signed up for. And then also, same thing from that, that they're transparent and I've done enough background checks that I know what I'm getting, as well. Because I think at the end of the day, people can deal with whatever it is, as long as you're transparent on the front end and they know what they've signed up for."