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Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin essentially confirmed earlier this week that sixth-year quarterback Sean Clifford will remain his starter despite calls from fans to play freshman and five-star recruit Drew Allar following last Saturday’s 41-17 blowout loss at the Michigan Wolverines.
Penn State offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich echoed that take while speaking with reporters Thursday.
“He does all the little things that a true freshman quarterback may overlook at times,” Yurcich said of Clifford, according to Rich Scarcella of the Reading Eagle. “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 exited the defeat at Michigan with what seemed to be a shoulder injury after he completed seven-of-19 passes for 120 yards to go along with 74 rushing yards on six carries. He participated in Wednesday’s practice and is expected to start when the No. 16-ranked Nittany Lions (5-1) host the 4-2 Minnesota Golden Gophers this Saturday.
Allar connected on five-of-10 attempts for 37 yards in relief of Clifford against the Wolverines.
“Drew has come a long way since spring,” Yurcich added during his comments. “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.”
Clifford is completing a career-worst 59.0% of his passes this season, and his 137.4 rating for the campaign is three-and-a-half points lower than his 140.9 career rating.
Allar, meanwhile, lost his redshirt status due to his handful of appearances this fall.
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