"A Lot Of Ups, Few Downs": Sean Clifford Leaves Penn State With Dignity & Class
After being subjected to criticism for much of his six-year tenure in Happy Valley, Clifford took home Rose Bowl Offensive MVP honors Monday evening.
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Hey friends,
With as tradition-rich and historical as college football is, there’s no secret its landscape is in the midst of a complete overhaul, leaving many divided regarding its potential effects.
On Monday, I was fortunate enough to attend the last-ever traditional Rose Bowl featuring a squad representing the Big Ten slotted up against a PAC-12 foe.
While the 35-21 slugfest highlighted by a pair of 80-yard touchdowns from the Nittany Lions helped James Franklin’s bunch outlast Utah, the game represented much more. It was a display that, quite simply, advertised everything good about college football.
In this week’s edition of the Blue Chip Journal, I wanted to feature Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford.
Clifford signed with the Nittany Lions in 2017 and just played his last game in the blue and white in arguably his most impressive showing in a Penn State uniform.
The Cincinnati native won’t be regarded as one of the top quarterback prospects in the upcoming NFL Draft cycle. He won’t receive future consideration for a College Football Hall of Fame nomination or likely ever have his number retired in Happy Valley.
However, his impact on the current state of the sport is a mold many incoming collegiate athletes should strive to embody. It represents one of class, humility, and an endless sense of duty to uphold a standard of excellence to his teammates and coaches.
Without further ado, let’s take a look at Clifford’s journey to Pasadena in what happened to be a storybook ending for the “Big Red Dog.”
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"A Lot Of Ups, Few Downs": Sean Clifford Leaves Penn State With Dignity & Class
When Sean Clifford last entered the hallowed Rose Bowl grounds in Pasadena, California before Monday evening, he was a wide-eyed 10-year-old from Cincinnati who hadn’t yet uncovered his passion for commanding the gridiron under center.
At the time, Clifford didn’t know it, but the idea the Rose Bowl’s stunning allure planted in his head would eventually lead him to Penn State. More than a decade later, the kid who once possessed an endless imagination would go on to wrap up his college career at that very spot, in a fashion that’s typically only presented on Hollywood big screens.
“I actually posted a picture on social media of me as a kid, I was in fourth grade, and my dad surprised me with the opportunity to fly out [to the Rose Bowl] with a really good friend of mine and his dad,” Clifford said postgame. “And, I just remember really falling in love with football at that camp, and specifically, falling in love with the quarterback position. So, for it to come full circle, and just to be a spoke in the wheel for this team in the Rose Bowl, it’s just such a blast.”
Clifford wasn’t just a “spoke in the wheel” in Penn State’s second-ever Rose Bowl victory, but rather a catalyst who led the Nittany Lions to a 448-yard offensive showing against the PAC-12’s second-ranked total defense.
The veteran gunslinger torched the Utes at nearly every level and hit on 16-of-22 passes for 279 yards and two touchdowns. His second scoring strike, an 88-yard bomb to KeAndre Lambert-Smith, now resides in the record books as the longest passing touchdown in Rose Bowl history. On top of it all, he nabbed Offensive MVP honors, an award that’s also owned by the likes of Justin Herbert, Vince Young, and Matt Leinart.
Late in the fourth quarter, Franklin elected to pull Clifford out of the matchup with 3:13 remaining to give the program-staple one, final curtain call to round out his Penn State career.
To viewers seated across the 92,000-seat venue, the moment radiated of Clifford’s importance to the Nittany Lions throughout his six-year tenure. But, to Clifford, he believes his teammates made the farewell special, not his almost flawless on-field display.
“It means a lot just being able to see my teammates on the sideline with smiles on their faces,” Clifford said. “It just means the world. I just couldn’t be prouder to be a Penn Stater.”
While Clifford was able to cap off his final performance with a Rose Bowl triumph and his second 11-2 finish since 2019, it wasn’t always all smiles for the eventual all-time great in Happy Valley.
In 2020, Clifford began the COVID-19 hindered slate as the starting signal caller behind a group that began the campaign with an 0-5 start — the worst opening record across the Nittany Lions’ then 133-year existence.
Over the span, the Ohio product tossed eight interceptions en route to being benched for former backup Will Levis, who is now slated as a first-round NFL Draft prospect across the board by most draft analysts.
Even through the pitfalls of his ambiguous reign at the helm of Franklin’s offense, Clifford remained loyal to Penn State and the program’s process. In return, Franklin stayed tried-and-true to Clifford, who recently rewarded the Nittany Lions with a coveted Rose Bowl title.
Instead of becoming one of over 1,200 other entrants into the transfer portal two short years ago, Clifford elected to outlast adversity and remain devoted to Penn State, even when endless amounts of outside noise told him he was on track to make the wrong choice.
In this day in age, Clifford certainly took the road less traveled by many once-struggling college athletes. And for that reason, he deserves to be applauded.
“Sean’s experienced it all at Penn State, he really has,” said Franklin. “There are so many good things about this game, but there are so many good young men like [Ji’Ayir Brown], and Sean [Clifford], and PJ [Mustipher], I could go on, and on, and on, at a time that it is more challenging than it’s ever been. So, I couldn’t be more proud of these guys.”
Ultimately, Clifford will ride into the sunset with most Penn State quarterback records, which he overtook from program legends including Trace McSorley, Daryll Clark, Michael Robinson, and Todd Blackledge.
He finished his career in the blue and white as the clubhouse leader in wins as starting quarterback (31), passing yards (10,661), completions (817), passing touchdowns (84), and overall completion percentage (61%).
When Clifford was asked about the “ups and downs” throughout his four campaigns as a starter, Franklin cut him off.
“A lot of ups,” Franklin said. “A lot of ups. Few downs.”
In the end, Franklin’s sentiment is exactly how Clifford will be remembered by the Penn State faithful. The Nittany Lions are one of only five programs to capture three New Year’s Six bowl victories since the College Football Playoff’s inception. Clifford led Franklin’s crew to a pair of those program-defining victories.
On the field, Clifford wasn’t polarizing. He couldn’t single-handedly wreck a matchup, or ever lift the Nittany Lions over Ohio State to eclipse a Big Ten Championship appearance. And, that shouldn’t be the end-all-be-all of his legacy.
Clifford represented college football with class, he navigated Penn State through lows with humility and grace, and in the end, he prevailed as a Rose Bowl champion and an MVP. With all of his accolades to boot, the quarterback is more proud of his overarching journey and the memories captured at every stop along the captivating six-year ride.
And, that’s what college football is all about. Forming and fostering relationships to leave a university better than it originally was upon arrival. Clifford unequivocally bettered Penn State — both on and off the field.
“I can’t thank everybody enough for my experience at Penn State,” Clifford said. “I’ve cherished every minute of it — the ups and the downs — and I just couldn’t be more thankful.”
If you have any questions, comments, or feedback, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me by email at adam@brenemanmedia.com.
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Shoutout to Connor Krause for helping to write this newsletter and putting the whole thing together!