PSU point-counterpoint: What were you most impressed with in the season opener for Penn State?

Lions show commitment to power football

The Nittany Lions can feel good about many aspects of their performance at Purdue.

Quarterback play (save Sean Clifford's bad interception), the debuts of Mitchell Tinsley and Barney Amor, Joey Porter Jr. having one of the better statistical games of a Penn State cornerback ever (six breakups, eight solo tackles, fumble recovery) and Penn State's fourth-quarter defense were all quite impressive.

But I'm going to take the Lions' short-yardage offense.

How many times have we seen Penn State stuffed on third- and fourth-and-short over the last few seasons?

You're right: Too many.

The offensive line didn't get enough push, and running backs -- even the great Saquon Barkley -- were routinely thrown for losses as opposing defenses lived in the Lions' backfield.

Penn State's inability to move defenses at the line of scrimmage has been one of the top priorities this year.

That's why the way the Lions approached and executed their short-yardage opportunities at Purdue was encouraging.

On second-and-1 at their own 13 early, they banged freshman Nick Singleton for a first down. He's quicker to the hole than Keyvone Lee so it was a good situational choice.

On third-and-1 from midfield, they lined up nine on the line of scrimmage, including two tight ends, and freed fellow freshman Kaytron Allen, also quick to the hole, for three yards.

And then on second-and-goal from the Purdue 2, they lined up the two freshmen backs with tight end Brenton Strange in the middle behind Clifford - three across -- and pushed Clifford into the end zone for a 14-10 lead.

Those who appreciate power football -- the fullback mafia, as James Franklin has jokingly called it -- approved.

These were not sexy plays, but they were an indication of the commitment to the toughness needed to compete at the top level of the Big Ten.

A great team - which Penn State is not yet but is assembling parts - absolutely must know it can gain the tough yard when it's needed most.

That was not the case last year and generally hasn't been the case under Franklin, who has presided over more than his share of come-from-ahead losses because his team couldn't grind out the clock with key first downs.

Another interesting sequence came at the outset of the second quarter.

Facing third-and-4 from the Purdue 31, Penn State sent Allen into the line for two yards. That running play in four-down territory gave Franklin and Mike Yurcich a choice. Long field goal attempt, probably a bit outside of Jake Pinegar's range, or go for it on fourth-and-2 from the 29.

The Lions lined up in a power set with nine on the line, including three tight ends - Strange, Tyler Warren and Bryce Effner -- on the right. Clifford used play-action and then dumped a 12-yard pass to Devon Ford out of the backfield for a relatively easy drive-sustaining first down.

The pass was set up by the power formation.

Franklin spent the entire offseason emphasizing the running game, and based on one game, it looks like the Lions have made strides.

Rudel can be reached at nrudel@altoonamirror.com. You can also follow him on Twitter@neilrudel.

Clifford gets lots of flak but deserves praise now

By Cory Giger

sports@altoonamirror.com

I know what you were thinking. What everyone was thinking. Because I was thinking it, too.

When Sean Clifford threw that horrendous pick-6 that gave Purdue a 31-28 lead, we ALL were thinking: Clifford is so bad, how can he still be Penn State's quarterback?

All of which is why my answer to what I was most impressed with in the opener was, in fact, the 43-year-old QB who is in his 17th season of college football. (OK, he is actually only 24 and in season six.)

One thing we all love in sports is the athlete who overcomes adversity and winds up succeeding. Clifford has endured two years of adversity as the starting quarterback, a lot of it through his own doing with inconsistent and sometimes awful play.

But when Penn State's defense held to give the offense one final shot with 2:22 remaining and down 31-28, how many of you had the same feeling deep down inside that I did?

Sean Clifford is going to win this game.

And when he did just that, leading a clutch 80-yard drive and throwing the winning TD to Keyvone Lee with 57 seconds left, it was fantastic to see for the young man — errr, grizzled old college veteran.

Clifford can be maddening, no doubt. But in all fairness, he's as experienced as it gets, and he has been in charge of a lot of big plays during his Penn State career.

Why was I so confident he would deliver at Purdue? Probably because I wanted to see the redemption story play out right in front of my eyes at Ross-Ade Stadium.

And that's exactly what we saw.

So, how can you not feel good for Clifford for pulling that off?

I've stated several times now that Clifford is the most heavily criticized Penn State football player of all time. Yes, there have been guys who were blasted by fans in the past, but that didn't occur in the social media age, where Twitter and Facebook posters can take aim unlike any other previous era.

Clifford gets absolutely ripped to shreds by lots of and lots of people, from diehard fans to the most casual followers. Very few fans seem to believe in him after the struggles of the past two seasons, and perhaps rightfully so.

I have been as critical of Clifford as any media member, and I'll stand behind everything I've ever written or said about him.

But we also have to be fair in life and give credit where credit is due.

No matter how skeptical many people still probably are about Clifford — and want to see Drew Allar get more playing time — let's put that skepticism aside for this week and heap praise on the guy who won the game for Penn State after overcoming his share of adversity, both that day and for two years.

Yes, there may be more criticism aimed at Clifford in the coming weeks. But for this week, the guy deserves a big pat on the back.

Cory Giger covers Penn State for DK Pittsburgh Sports and hosts "Sports Central" weekdays from 4-5 on WRTA. He can be reached at cgsports12@gmail.com.