PSU must hope Clifford can heal to save season from tailspin: One big thing

STATE COLLEGE -- James Franklin needed just 11 words to say so much more about where Penn State is after an unfathomable unless you watched it 20-18 loss to Illinois.

"We felt like Sean gave us the best opportunity to win," he said.

It's only a sentence, one of many uttered by the Nittany Lions' head coach and his players, but it tells you everything about what could come next with a trip to Ohio State on deck.

Clifford was gutsy throughout the second setback of the season but clearly was not as healthy as he could have been, and it only got worse as the hits piled up. He was inaccurate, as balls sailed or skipped or didn't have the power the senior typically throws with, unable to run, which is such a key part of both his game and the offense in general, and had to err on the side of caution when it came to extending a play or just going down for safety purposes. The final stat line wasn't pretty: 19 of 34 for 165 yards and one touchdown.

There's no question that Penn State is where it is today because of the way No. 14 has played. That's the five wins and the two losses, one of which he exited early, of course. But he wasn't himself on this day and yet there was nowhere else to turn, and that's a problem seemingly across the board but especially under center as the program searches for answers after a blunder following the bye week.

"We didn't play up to our standard, the Penn State standard, or anything like that," Clifford said.

Getting back to it will be difficult for a team that can't run the ball, struggled to stop it during the first game without defensive tackle PJ Mustipher, and was just out-of-sync in general on offense. There is not only the battle in Columbus ahead but also a visit from Michigan and trips to Michigan State in addition to what should be easier matchups with Rutgers and Maryland. Then again, this one was supposed to be easy, too.

Oddsmakers had no problem installing the Lions as a 24-point favorite despite Clifford's health concerns. He threw Tuesday and practiced Wednesday and was deemed well enough to play, even if he wasn't 100 percent. That's one problem, and the other is that either Ta'Quan Roberson or Christian Veilleux at 100 percent was not good enough in the staff's eyes compared to the clearly hobbled Clifford. He vowed after the game to live in the training room and do everything he can to get back to the way he was playing prior to the issue at Iowa, but how long will that take, if it ever occurs?

It's the biggest question facing this team, and program, right now, and the answer will play a pivotal role in deciding where it ends up by the end of November. It's true that the defense allowed over 300 rushing yards for the first time since 2016, and they could have played better, but they set the offense up with some prime field position that led to nothing time and time again, and ultimately held the Fighting Illini to just 10 points in regulation and 20 overall.

Most days, that'd be good enough to win. It wasn't on this one and it won't be moving forward, though if coordinator Mike Yurcich's attack continues to function as it did over the last six quarters and change.

It's why there is no other conclusion to draw following a stunning defeat: Clifford's health is the key to either stopping the tailspin or continuing it, and there's no guarantee that he'll heal up overnight.

"I'm not too worried about the chemistry of the locker room," Clifford said. "We have a really good group. We're going to bounce back, there's no question in my mind.

"Getting some guys back healthy, I'm trying to get as healthy as I can be, because we got a big one next week, and just the rest of the season, we have to keep pushing because we have a lot of football in front of us."

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