Ta’Quan Roberson hung in there and went through the progression, but the antagonists just keep coming at him.

No, not during the game against Iowa, when Penn State’s backup quarterback was pressed into duty against the hostile Hawkeyes and their equally hostile fans.

No, after that top-5 showdown 9 days ago, when Roberson stood in there for 8-plus minutes as a swarm of media members pressed in on him in Kinnick Stadium. The progression? The clichés, of course. The 21-year-old third-year freshman (eligibility-wise) humbly and politely answered all the questions, saying all the right things while really saying very little. Crash Davis from the movie Bull Durham would have been proud.

He gave a lot of short answers, sprinkled in several “yes sirs” and didn’t look much more comfortable than he did facing Iowa’s pass rush.

A sampling: “In our program, it’s a next-man-up mentality. Coach Franklin and Coach Yurcich prepare everybody, all the backups, to be in a position like this. … Next game, 1-0 next week. I know my teammates got my back; I got their back. We’re just focusing on next week. … We’re a family. No matter what, everyone has each other’s back. They had my back.  … [I’ll] take the advice on what I need to do better, and just work from there. … I definitely have to build off this, use it as fuel, and just keep getting better.”

Give the young man credit. He didn’t have to meet the media, but felt he should. If he does have to hold starter Sean Clifford’s spot for any length of time, he might as well get used to all that goes with the job.

But the hard truth of the matter is, he’s not ready. He was soft-spoken to the point of seeming shy amidst the reporters Saturday evening in Iowa City, just as he was in preseason media sessions.

Based on his mild-mannered demeanor and the evidence from the 23-20 loss to the Hawkeyes (7-for-21, 34 yards, 2 INTs, 0-for-8 converting third downs, 8 false start penalties by a line that had been in sync with Clifford just fine), Roberson isn’t prepared to lead a major Division I offense.

A voice that doesn’t project tends to be a problem when barking out signals is part of the job.

“He’s not as loud as Sean,” head coach James Franklin conceded, “but not to the point where it was a problem [before]. So we’ll do a deep dive on that.”

When a reporter ask Roberson if he thought new offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich had confidence in him, he didn’t answer for himself. “I think he has a lot of confidence in us, as an offense, and also in the QB room.” Humble. Respectful. Deferential. To a fault. At some point, a guy who’s going to lead a top-10 program has to get in touch with his inner Brett Favre, as Clifford did in the summer, declaring himself the most confident quarterback in America.

Maybe that guy is inside Roberson somewhere, and maybe Yurcich and Franklin can draw it out of him. But frankly, the coaches have done a lousy job of that so far, despite having Roberson in the fold since he enrolled in January of 2019.

How much this matters hinges on Clifford’s status, and Franklin — the keeper of the secrets when it comes to PSU injuries — isn’t saying much.

Where do things stand with Clifford?

Here’s what we know: Clifford isn’t done for the season. If he were, Franklin would says so. That’s part of the coach’s policy, which he affirmed is still in place at a media session last week.

Clifford could be back as soon as this Saturday, as the Lions come off their bye week for a home game against Illinois. Or he might not be back in time for the team’s showdown with Ohio State less than 2 weeks from now. He didn’t practice last week, at least in the parts of the workouts reporters were allowed to attend.

“Sean’s had issues in the past,” Franklin said last Wednesday before heading out on a 6-state, 3-day recruiting trip. “He’s doing everything he possibly can to get back as soon as he possibly can. What he’s dealing with is not uncommon at the quarterback position.”

One reporter threw a hypothetical at Franklin, asking how the situation would be playing out if the Illinois game were this past Saturday rather than the Lions being off.

“Two things: He’s going to be preparing to be the starter, and No. 2, it’s a good way to ask me if he is healthy or not, and I’m not answering that question because I do not get into specifics when it comes to injuries. It’s a strategic, intelligent way of asking the question, but I’m not answering it. … Sean’s going to prepare to be the starter every single week.”

Clifford got hit on the right side of his torso, with his ribs exposed because his arm was up in the throwing motion. He had just released a pass when blitzing Iowa linebacker Jack Campbell arrived.

Since becoming the starter to begin the 2019 season, Clifford has missed one game completely and come off the bench once. He sat out the final regular-season game of 2019 after getting banged up the previous week against Ohio State. Will Levis led the Lions in that 2019 victory over Rutgers and also started ahead of Clifford in last year’s fifth game, a loss to Iowa.

Franklin cites 2 main reasons for not providing injury updates: Players’ privacy rights regarding health data, and a desire to not give free information to opponents. But in not giving any type of time table, he’s shutting out fans who would like to be reassured that the team’s most vital offensive player isn’t seriously hurt.

Why isn’t Roberson better prepared?

Publicly, the Penn State coaching staff has rarely expressed much faith in Roberson, and they’ve done next to nothing to prepare him to play. To some extent, that’s understandable. He’s only in the mix for playing time now because of mass defections through the transfer portal over the past 2 years. Levis, Micah Bowens and Michael Johnson Jr. are all suiting up elsewhere now, most notably Levis, who has led Kentucky to a 6-1 start.

Roberson was such an afterthought prior to this season that Franklin didn’t bother to get him game reps until the final 4 offensive plays of 2020’s 4-5 campaign. Roberson took 4 snaps and handed off each time to close out a 56-21 victory over Illinois. Penn State won handily enough in the final 3 games of 2020’s meaningless season that Franklin could have gotten Roberson some legitimate game reps. But he didn’t.

In the summer, no one on the staff even acknowledged publicly that Roberson was the No. 2. He and true freshman Christian Veilleux generally got mentioned in the same sentence when backup plans were discussed.

“They both have the talent necessary … the maturity is there on both the young men,” said Yurcich, who had just taken over for 2020 offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca. “This will be a big fall camp for them.”

Now, we’re in the second of 2 crucial weeks for the pair.

“Ta’Quan and Veilleux have been splitting reps so far in practice this week,” Franklin said last Wednesday. “They’ve done well. But nothing’s been decided or determined at this point.”

When Clifford is healthy, he gets the bulk of the reps with the first-team offense. But in his absence, that doesn’t seem to be the case for Roberson, if Franklin’s words can be taken at face value.

So is Veilleux an option?

Despite the quotes above, I doubt Veilleux will see the field for meaningful snaps against Illinois unless Clifford and Roberson are both sidelined. The 6-4, 202-pound true freshman didn’t have a high school season in 2020 as his school decided not to play in light of the pandemic, so he hasn’t been in any kind of live action in almost 2 years.

If he plays against the Illini, it’s likely to be in mop-up duty, although the coaches could take the pressure off both players by having Roberson and Veilleux alternate series. More clarity might come later in the week from Franklin, but probably not.

Still, in my mind, Penn State would be better off — if Clifford is indeed out — to pump Roberson full of confidence, design a scheme to play to his strengths and hope he finds his footing in the friendly confines of Beaver Stadium.

Before the Iowa game, he’d never thrown more than 5 passes in a game (3-for-5 vs. Villanova) or run more than once. Against the Illini, maybe it’s time to finally allow the 5-11, 197-pound former 4-star recruit to truly audition. I worry he just might not have the personality to take command of Penn State’s huddle, but I could be wrong. And it’s past time to find out.

He put up monster dual-threat numbers in high school. Over his final 2 seasons, he threw for nearly 5,000 yards and 59 TDs, and ran for 887.

Recruiting analyst Brian Dohn expected him to be a multi-year starter at a Power 5 school. Three years ago, he wrote this summation for 247sports: Size is a concern, but not a deal breaker. Maximizes height with arm angle. Good arm strength and spins ball well. Delivery is free and easy. Throws into tight windows. Gets through progressions. Smart and competitive. Comfortable in pocket. Reacts to pressure well and finds throwing lanes. Poised and composed. Good footwork. Mobile and can gain yards with feet. Recognizes mismatches on pre-snap reads. Drops ball low on delivery at times. Does not always stride into throws. Needs to improve accuracy, especially when throwing outside. Multi-year starter at Power 5 program. NFL free agent.

Veilleux was a 3-star prostyle QB coming out of high school.

Dohn’s analysis: Good frame and size. Pocket passer with mobility. Release is usually compact, especially on short throws. Ball comes out of hand freely. Accurate, particularly on short throws to edge and intermediate routes. Throws catchable ball with touch. Good footwork and base works in unison with arm. Gets through progressions. Plays composed. Drags ball a little at start of throwing motion. Improving arm strength will help on long throws. Adding strength will help. Sometimes relies more on touch than fully committing to throw. Has to learn to play under center. Multi-year starter at Top 20 program.

Are there creative solutions to be found?

Against Iowa, Roberson looked most decisive when he pulled the ball down and took off running. He netted 27 yards on 10 carries, but had 42 yards excluding sacks. He ran 3 times for 26 yards on the only drive he led that produced points.

Safe throws and read-option runs should do the trick against Illinois (2-5), which is second worst in the Big Ten on offense and defense and scores fewer points than anyone in the league.

Yurcich could take even more pressure off Roberson by mixing in more of the trick plays he employed earlier in the season but didn’t work into the game plan against Iowa. Tight end Tyler Warren has taken direct snaps and run the ball; maybe now is the time to let the former high school quarterback throw a few too. And star receiver Jahan Dotson has the best passer rating in the B1G (280.60), as he’s 2-for-2 for 43 yards.

Illinois ranks second worst in the league against the run, too, so maybe one of Penn State’s highly-touted backs can break through for the Lions’ first 100-yard individual rushing game of the season.

Yurcich and Franklin don’t deserve their paychecks if they can’t guide the Lions past the Illini. Bret Bielema’s squad is coming off a shutout loss to Wisconsin in which it produced less than 100 yards of offense.

If Clifford doesn’t play, the bigger concern is finding a workable Plan B for the offense ahead of the Lions’ trip to Columbus to face the Buckeyes, just in case Clifford can’t play in that one either.