Update: Sean Clifford will miss the second half against Iowa due to an undisclosed injury. He has rejoined Penn State on the sideline but is not in uniform. Ta’Quan Roberson will take over at QB for the Nittany Lions.
Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford took a hard hit and was taken to the locker room midway through the second quarter of the Nittany Lions’ top-5 showdown against Iowa. Hawkeyes linebacker Jack Campbell hit Clifford in the ribs and the Penn State starter was wincing as he came off the field.
Clifford had completed 15 of 25 passes for 146 yards with zero touchdowns and two interceptions. He added one four-yard rushing touchdown which gave Penn State a 14-3 lead late in the first quarter.
Redshirt sophomore quarterback Ta’Quan Roberson entered for Penn State. He fumbled his first snap but recovered it. Then, he nearly threw an interception on the second play.
Roberson beat out true freshman Christian Veilleux for the backup quarterback gig. Roberson was a four-star prospect in the Class of 2018, according to 247Sports. He was a top-300 prospect in the country and the No. 8 dual threat quarterback.
“With Ta’Quan, the ball can really pop out of his hand, man,” Penn State offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich said, via Lions247. “He’s got really good explosion, he’s got a really good whip with his arm. And yet, he’s got really good core strength that allows him to rotate and really snap the ball out there. His accuracy is good. Sometimes he’ll get a little bit wild in the pocket, with a little bit too much bounce, or sometimes his head comes off to the side and he needs to stay more vertical, or what we call staying erect with his sternum from head all the way down through his base. That’s really important for him to continue to work that fundamental, but I love watching him throw the ball.
“He’s still continuing to learn protections, the finer things. What’s a bad run? When do we want to try to get out of a play and be alert for certain things? Maybe it’s a blitz in the red zone, those little things that sneak up on you that you really need work in the fire to get better at those things. So we try to put him in situations throughout the week where we challenge them. We’ve been doing that for a while now. And boy, I am excited for what’s in his future.”
No. 4 Penn State led No. 3 Iowa 17-10 midway through the second quarter.
Clifford had really taken a big jump for Penn State this season. His much-improved play was a big reason why Penn State was a perfect 5-0.
“His ability to absorb the information,” Yurcich said when asked what Clifford had done that impressed him. “He takes the game plan, and he really studies it hard. He does a great job preparing. That’s something that you don’t know about any individual until you actually get to work with them on a real game-by-game basis, and he’s been very consistent.
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“His mentality has been very even-keel and poised. I mean, he’s a fiery person by nature, but he’s able to stay calm and adjust. With as much experience as Sean has, I think the biggest attribute that he has is that poise. He can regroup if things aren’t going great and get back into rhythm. So that’s something that I think is unique about him, and it is a really good quality that any quarterback should have.”