Sean Clifford has taken a big step in the right direction this season. After struggling with turnovers and consistency throughout the course of 2020, the Penn State quarterback looks like a much more comfortable player in Mike Yurcich’s system.

A lot of factors play into that.

Clifford has talked repeatedly about the respect he has for Yurcich, and the amount of confidence the offensive coordinator has in the QB. But that confidence comes from Clifford’s relentless work ethic.

Saturday’s performance against Indiana was far from Clifford’s best outing, but it was still pretty good. He completed 17-of-33 passes for 178 yards with 3 touchdowns and an interception. He also rushed for 58 yards on 10 carries, good enough to lead Penn State to a 24-0 victory over the Hoosiers.

After the game, Clifford says a lot of his improvement comes from his commitment to the game.

“Some people like to go out, have a beer, you know, whatever you do late at night,” Clifford said, per Audrey Snyder of The Athletic. “Some people like to go and throw. I like to throw. I like to watch tape and that’s where I enjoy myself because football is heaven to me.”

Reading between the lines, clearly Clifford doesn’t believe there’s beer in heaven. Calm down, that’s just a joke.

Back to reality.

Clifford’s improvement from 2020 to this season is a big reason why Penn State sits at 5-0 on the year and is ranked as one of the Top 5 teams in the country. Through 5 games, Clifford has thrown for 1,336 yards with 11 touchdowns, 3 interceptions and a 67.3% completion rate.

He’s playing like one of the best quarterbacks in the B1G right now. But Clifford and the Penn State offense will be tested next week in Iowa City against another Top 5 team in the Hawkeyes, with arguably the best defense in the B1G.