As spring ball winds down, Clifford and Yurcich chase 'perfect game'
Now with 12 of Penn State's allotted 15 spring practices behind him, new offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich's evaluation of Sean Clifford's room for improvement was simple.
It's the little things.
"Where he can improve the most is probably just the progressions and anticipation," Yurcich said. "There's a lot of new on his plate right now, and it's one of those things where you kind of don't know until you actually get thrown in there and have to feel it. He's just got to get his eyes where they need to be more consistently on every play."
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Yurcich called it "a matter of time" before that happens, basing his faith in Clifford on the signal-caller's work ethic and intelligence.
Clifford, who declined when asked to offer his own evaluation of his performance this spring, said he derives the most satisfaction from the day-to-day improvements he's still striving to make as the Nittany Lions enter their final week of spring ball.
"I can't control what happens on game day against Wisconsin right now," he said. "That's not in my control. But at the same time, I can control what I do tomorrow, what film I watch, what I do with my body."
Clifford's showing at Beaver Stadium on Saturday can be categorized as uneven.
He threw a 45-yard touchdown pass to a wide open Brenton Strange, which served as the highlight, and also found Cam Sullivan-Brown for a nice 37-yard gain. He did, however, throw an interception to Kalen King in the end zone — one of two on the afternoon for the true freshman corner, who also took advantage of a misguided throw by Ta'Quan Roberson.
Turnovers were a recurring problem for Clifford and the Penn State offense as a whole last season. He threw nine interceptions in nine games in 2020 in his second year as the Nittany Lions' starting quarterback, after throwing seven picks in 12 games the season before.
"On that one, that was my read," Clifford said. "I stepped up into the pocket. We didn't pick up the blitz correctly — but that's something we can correct. For me, I've just got to pack the rock and go ahead and take it down. I got my eyes there and I thought I had a shot to put it up, but I left it a little short and [King] had a play on the ball over our guy.
"You've just got to make judgement calls every once in a while, you've got to figure out which ones you want to take and which ones you don't, and I shouldn't have taken that one. But it was a great play by him."
Yurcich and head coach James Franklin both praised Clifford for his attitude this spring after the practice.
Yurcich said Clifford "prepares like a pro," and values the emotion and intensity Clifford brings to Penn State's offense.
He hopes that Clifford's experience will play a factor, too, moving into next season.
"These guys that are experienced guys, they have a poise about them," Yurcich said. "They don't get rattled, so that's what you expect. It's something that you have to continue to work on. And consistency, and the ability to anticipate and play tough, be the toughest guy on the field."
When asked about Clifford's consistency purely as a thrower, though, Yurcich said he didn't want to give an evaluation because "we're not where we need to be."
"We're going to continue to work every day, that's the biggest thing," Yurcich said. "Where can I help him improve. How can I coach him better. How can I get through to him faster to where we're making zero mistakes and he's on point?
"We're chasing that perfect game."
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