AUBURN, A.L. — Sean Clifford finished up his media availability Saturday evening and turned his attention to the field he’d played on just 90 minutes prior.
He put his head down, slowly walking out to the blue and orange “AU” emblazoned on the Jordan-Hare Stadium grass. Clifford reached his destination and stopped, eyes looking off into the distance. The redshirt senior starting quarterback is in his sixth year as a Nittany Lion and his forth at the helm of the offense. But something was different about his demeanor following the win.
The usually stoic but jovial quarterback was replaced by a more raw version. His trip to midfield did not last long, 60 — maybe 90 — seconds. He did not move his feet much, shuffling them momentarily as he lifted his hat off his head to wipe his forehead.
After his moment of quiet, he turned toward the Penn State locker room, lowering the brim of his hat over his eyes to shield his face from those nearby. Clifford did not say anything as he walked away — but his time in that moment said plenty. He and the Nittany Lions made a statement with their 41-12 drubbing of the Auburn Tigers.
Though he showed the emotion of the game just before he left, it was never just about him.
“It’s cool to be able to see the support of the team,” he said. “This isn’t about me, this isn’t about one person, this is about Penn State. This is about us getting back to who we are. And in my last year I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
The win was an important one for a program that seemed to need an identity. Sure, the Nittany Lions were 2-0, but those first wins lacked something. The victory over Purdue was a quality road win to begin the season, but the team looked shaky at times, including its quarterback. The ensuing win over Ohio was dominant, but it was against Ohio. The 2022 iteration lacked the moment where it felt like something was different than the two versions before it. The ones that went 4-5 in 2020 and 7-6 in 2021. Those teams never had the moment.
Last year’s was close, but a tight win over an Auburn team in a White Out at home lacks the punch necessary to make a grander statement. Same with a narrow season opening victory over Wisconsin that was similar to this year’s Purdue game. This was a program that was waiting to place itself back where it aspires to be. Back in the national conversation, back in the College Football Playoff picture.
It’s far too early for those types of declarations, even if the win was the type of statement that level of team makes, but even on a smaller scale level something did feel different.
“We’ve been waiting to find out who we are,” senior safety Ji’Ayir Brown said. “I think that’s why you’ve seen a lot more enthusiasm today and a lot more guys excited because it finally clicked. All of the stuff that (defensive coordinator) Manny (Diaz) told us was gonna happen is starting to happen.”
A 41-12 win over a program as talented as Auburn is nothing to scoff at, even if that team only ends up winning six or seven games this year. It is not easy to play at Jordan-Hare Stadium — just ask the three players flagged for false starts — and it’s not easy to do it as a team that doesn’t routinely face that level of talent.
Even for a program like Penn State with a head coach like James Franklin, who routinely preaches a 1-0 mentality, this was different. His public demeanor was similar to most games, but the videos on social media of him dancing with his players forming a circle around him say otherwise. They speak to a coach that felt something different. Those videos do not circulate after wins over Ohio and Purdue. They don’t surface when the team beats Rutgers or Maryland. Say what they will about celebrating and moving on — Franklin did just that, saying his team would celebrate for a few hours and then focus on next week — but it’s hard to believe. Franklin and his players have to know. They have to feel it.
Is Penn State back? Maybe. Maybe not.
But this is not the team it was forecast to be. It has the special talent it takes to make a run. A real run. Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen? Franklin said he’s never seen a freshman duo do what they’ve done at running back. The defense? One that hadn’t seen its edge rushers earn a sack or even force a turnover as a unit saw its breakthrough and looks like one of the best in the country.
There is something to this Penn State team, but there is no guarantee it turns into anything meaningful. As Clifford stood at the 50-yard line he had to know. It is there. Now it’s up to him and the rest of the Nittany Lions to figure out exactly what it is.
