Ad Disclosure
Rapid Reaction: Sean Clifford’s big day leads Penn State past Ball State
By Nick Schultz
Published:
Penn State only had one offensive touchdown in last week’s upset victory over Wisconsin.
That wasn’t the case this week.
Nittany Lions quarterback Sean Clifford had a huge day offensively against Ball State Saturday afternoon, throwing for 230 yards on 21-of-29 passing and a touchdown in the air. On the ground, he had 11 carries for 66 yards — including a 43-yard rush — and a touchdown. He was the driving force as Penn State cruised to a 44-13 win over the Cardinals.
It was a good showing for James Franklin’s group, especially after scoring 16 points in last week’s grind-it-out victory at Wisconsin. It’s also a stark contrast from last year’s 0-5 start to the season. Penn State fans have to love what they’re seeing 2 games into the 2021 campaign.
Penn State got it done on both sides of the ball, holding Ball State to 2 field goals and quarterback Dane Plitt to 25-for-39 passing and 176 yards. The Cardinals’ only touchdown came with 6:58 left in the game when Carson Steele rattled off a 6-yard run to the house.
Linebacker Jesse Luketa also intercepted Plitt in the third quarter and ran it back for a pick-six to give Penn State a 31-6 lead, one of 2 interceptions for the PSU defense against Plitt.
It’s not like Penn State did this against a bad team. Ball State was picked to win the MAC West in the preseason poll, which is another encouraging sign for the Nittany Lions. Starting 2-0 puts them in good position with two non-conference games left before B1G play starts.
Next up for Penn State is a matchup with Auburn, which throttled Akron (60-10) and Alabama State (62-0) in its first two games of the season, on Sept. 18. After being unranked to open the season, the Tigers were picked as the No. 25 team in this week’s AP Top 25 poll. Given how both teams have looked in their first two games, it should be a good one.
They’re getting the primetime treatment for that one, with a 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff on ABC.
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.