Penn State's Mike Yurcich explains why Sean Clifford remains starter

Oct. 20—Penn State offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich made it clear Thursday why he and coach James Franklin believe that Sean Clifford remains the best option at quarterback over freshman Drew Allar.

"He (Clifford) does all the little things that a true freshman quarterback may overlook at times," Yurcich said during a conference call with Penn State beat writers. "Those are important things for the overall offense to be successful, for us to be able to adapt and to change and to maybe check a play here or motion a receiver based on coverage and all those sorts of things."

Clifford likely will start when the 16th-ranked Nittany Lions (2-1 Big Ten, 5-1) take on Minnesota (1-2, 4-2) in the annual White Out game Saturday night at 7:30 at Beaver Stadium (TV-ABC, WEEU-AM/830).

He left Penn State's 41-17 loss at Michigan last week in the fourth quarter with what appeared to be a shoulder injury after he completed just 7-of-19 passes for 120 yards. Clifford practiced Wednesday when media members were allowed to watch.

Allar replaced him at Michigan and didn't fare any better, going 5-for-10 for 37 yards.

"I don't want to say that he (Allar) is not doing the little things," Yurcich said. "There are a lot of different things that can happen in a ballgame that you didn't cover. Maybe it was an adjustment by the defense or a look that you didn't see on tape that you'll be able to recall.

"And if you play college football for six years, there's going to be a different amount of recall than someone who doesn't have that experience. You can reflect back on past experiences."

Clifford, who's in his sixth season, has completed 59% of his passes for 1,150 yards and nine touchdowns with two interceptions. Allar has played in every game, losing his redshirt status, and has completed 58.6% of his passes for 200 yards and two TDs.

Penn State's offense has scored just three touchdowns in the last two games against Michigan and Northwestern. The Lions are clearly missing wide receiver Jahan Dotson, who's having a productive rookie season with the Washington Commanders. No current wide receiver has averaged more than 53 yards a game.

"It's not just the routes or the schemes," Yurcich said, explaining the lack of big plays in the passing game. "It's protection. It's timing. It's all of those things wrapped in one."

Penn State has improved what was a feeble ground game last season, raising its per-game average from 107.8 to 179.0 and its per-carry average from 3.2 to 4.9. The Lions ran for 111 yards against Michigan, but 62 of them came on Clifford's run in the second quarter.

Former Gov. Mifflin star Nick Singleton leads Penn State with 482 yards, five touchdowns and a 7.0 average, and freshman classmate Kaytron Allen has 319 yards, four TDs and a 5.1 average. They might be the only scholarship backs available against Minnesota because Keyvone Lee did not practice Wednesday after leaving the Michigan game with an undisclosed injury.

"We've really improved ourselves there (in the rushing attack)," Yurcich said. "If we can continue to make strides in that area, we're going to be satisfied. The young running backs have been really good. We've worked real hard on the ball security issues (they had) on a wet day (against Northwestern).

"They're getting better. They're understanding the game more."

Yurcich said he's pleased with how the offensive linemen have played after a miserable performance last season. Penn State quarterbacks have been sacked just nine times in six games, compared to 34 all of last season.

"I'm really happy with the way they're playing," he said. "We need to continue to push to get better and in all facets, pass and run. Obviously they've made significant strides."

Penn State's offense overall has improved slightly, but it's not close to being elite. The Lions rank 63rd nationally in total yards (414.3) and 55th in scoring (31.5). They've failed to reach 30 points in 12 of 19 games since Yurcich arrived, including the last two.

He was asked how he would evaluate his performance.

"I'm not one to evaluate myself," he said. "That's Coach Franklin's job to do that. I'm just trying to work my tail off and put these players in the best position to be successful.

"What you have to do as an offensive coordinator is adapt. I think we've done that."

The conversation returned to the quarterback position several times, specifically about Allar.

"Drew has come a long way since spring," Yurcich said. "What we saw (in Allar) is the ability to stretch the field vertically, good in the pocket. We know he's a tough guy with his big body. He's very durable.

"You never really know, and then he gets thrown into the Purdue game. He seemed very, very comfortable in that setting. That gave you a little bit of confidence that he's able to handle the bright lights of that situation."