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Sean Clifford explains impact of new OC Mike Yurcich, shares confidence ahead of Wisconsin game
By Nick Schultz
Published:
Last year, Sean Clifford had an up-and-down season for Penn State and was eventually benched in Week 5.
This season, the redshirt senior quarterback appears ready to put that behind him — and his new offensive coordinator is a big reason for it.
Under Kirk Ciarrocca last season, Penn State had the third-best offense in the B1G to the tune of 29.8 points per game. But Ciarrocca was fired at season’s end, and Mike Yurcich was brought in.
It sure sounds like Clifford has built a solid relationship with his new coordinator.
“I think [Yurcich has] done a really good job demanding,” Clifford told reporters in State College Wednesday after practice, via Sports Illustrated. “He’s a thermostat, not a thermometer. He really sets the tone when he walks in the room, and we feed off that.
“He’s hard on you sometimes, but it’s for the better. I think that I really needed it this past year, to set my mind straight and get my confidence truly back. And I can really say that I’m the most confident quarterback in the country, because of the guys around me, the way I’ve prepared and the way everybody else has prepared. So I’m excited to get after those boys in Madison.”
We’ll see how the new OC runs the offense this weekend when the No. 19-ranked Nittany Lions take on No. 12 Wisconsin in Madison. Kickoff for that game is Saturday at Noon ET on FOX.
Nick Schultz is a columnist and breaking news writer for Saturday Tradition. A 2020 graduate of Loyola Chicago, he covered the Ramblers' 2018 Final Four run from beginning to end and has worked at NBC Sports Chicago. Follow Nick on Twitter @NickSchultz_7.