Penn State outmaneuvers short-handed Spartans
This is what Sean Clifford came back for. The atmosphere, the camaraderie and most importantly, the wins.
Penn State’s four-year starter, who opted to return for his sixth and final collegiate season, threw four touchdown passes to lead the No. 11 Nittany Lions over Michigan State 35-16 in the regular-season finale on Saturday.
Afterward, the program’s longest-tenured quarterback made a victory lap with his teammates, high-fiving and hugging fans who watched him lift the Nittany Lions out of danger with two masterful, late scoring drives to swat down the comeback-minded Spartans.
“For me, it’s the culmination of everything this year has been,” Clifford said. “It’s been little moments here and there that nobody even sees that I won’t even tell anybody because It’s special to me, it’s special to the guys that I’ve shared it with and it’s part of the journey.”
Tight end Theo Johnson caught two touchdown passes, Tyler Warren and running back Nick Singleton each caught one, and KeAndre Lambert-Smith threw a touchdown pass and caught another for the Nittany Lions (10-2, 6-2 Big Ten, No. 11 CFP), who won 10 games for the fourth time under coach James Franklin.
Penn State evened the alltime series with the Spartans at 18-18-1, but needed a fourthquarter push to do so.
The Spartans (5-7, 3-6) were down a handful of players due to injuries and suspensions; seven of those suspended in the melee after the Michigan game on Oct. 29 were charged Wednesday.
Penn State held Michigan
State to just eight rushing yards and was up 14-3 at halftime. But the Spartans cut Penn State’s lead to 21-16 with 10:52 to play after quarterback Payton Thorne led back-to-back 10- and 11-play touchdown drives in the third and fourth quarters.
Thorne threw to Maliq Carr who made a one-handed catch for a nine-yard score late in the third. The Spartans quarterback kept the ball himself for a two-yard touchdown on their next possession, though his twopoint conversion pass failed.
But Penn State’s offense took control from there.
Clifford led an 11-play drive of his own to ice the game on senior day. He found Singleton in the flats and the rookie running back skipped through the Spartan defense for a 12-yard score. He also threw a 35-yard dart to Lambert-Smith between defenders with 3:56 to play as a finale.
“That was a huge drive in the game,” Franklin said. “They had gotten momentum, were able to get it down to a one-score game, so being able to answer there was a big-time drive.”