Seniors proud of what they achieved
After some mediocre seasons, Nittany Lions have ‘put the program back where it belongs’
Ji’Ayir Brown didn’t want the day, the game or the experiences to end.
Brown, Penn State’s superb safety, tried to take it all in Saturday, when the Nittany Lions beat Michigan State 35-16 in his final game at Beaver Stadium.
“Every step I took,” he said, “every movement I made, every tackle, every celebration, I really dived into it. I really admired the feeling. The crowd. The fans. The grass. Just having appreciation for everything around me.
“And it felt amazing.”
Brown and the other senior captains beamed with pride after Penn State finished a 10-2 regular season and likely sealed a berth in a New Year’s Six bowl. Their leadership was vital as the Lions bounced back from a pair of mediocre seasons and returned to the top 10.
“Just to put the program back where it belongs is a big accomplishment to me, Sean [Clifford], PJ [Mustipher] and the rest of the captains,” Brown said. “That was what we set out to do, to put Penn State back on the map. We came into the season unranked. I felt disrespected about that. But we put the work in and we showed everybody we belong.”
The Lions earned their fourth season with at least 10 wins in the last seven years. They refused to sulk after losses to Michigan and Ohio State that more or less eliminated them from the Big Ten East race.
They rolled past weaker opponents in November, beating Indiana, Maryland, Rutgers and Michigan State by an aggregate score of 165-40.
“It’s not easy,” said Mustipher, a nose tackle. “November’s a tough month. It’s that final stretch. People start to fizzle out. You can see it in teams around the country. It’s tough to win. It’s a long season. It just shows our determination. It’s not easy to do. I’m proud of the way we continue to show up.”
Mustipher could easily have been referring to Clifford, who withstood criticism from Penn State fans over his four years as the starting quarterback. He had the last laugh Saturday, completing 19 of 24 passes for 202 yards and four touchdowns.
He’s now the Lions’ career leader in passing yards (10,382), touchdown passes (84) and completion percentage (.612). He has 22 touchdown passes this season, tied for second in the Big Ten.
“People are going to be critical,” Clifford said, “but that’s because this place is so special. They demand excellence and they demand the best, which is awesome. That’s what this place should be. They should want to win every game. They should want to be elite because that’s what this program deserves.
“Am I bummed I couldn’t get it done all the way to that point? Yeah, but, man, what a journey it was,” he said.
Clifford said he will play in Penn State’s bowl game; Brown and Mustipher said they haven’t decided what they’re going to do.
Brown, who had no Division I offers as a high school senior at Trenton Central, has played as well as any Big Ten safety this season. He made a team-high seven solo tackles against Michigan State and forced punt returner to Jaylin Reed to fumble, which set up Clifford’s touchdown pass to Tyler Warren in the third quarter.
Brown leads the Lions in tackles and has had a hand in six turnovers this season and 15 in his career. He and Mustipher, who both decided to return to Penn State after last season, led a defense that’s tied for 10th nationally in points allowed and 18th in yards allowed.
“I came here in 2020 [from Lackawanna Junior College], and it was a bit rough,” Brown said. “But we stuck with it. We stuck it out. Where we are now, it’s been a great ride. Sometimes life doesn’t give you all sunshine and rainbows. Sometimes you have to go through the storm to be able to enjoy those sunny days and great times.”
The seniors guided and mentored their younger teammates, including the extremely talented freshmen. They helped set the stage for what could be very special seasons in 2023-24.
“Their leadership has been unbelievable all year long,” Penn State coach James Franklin said. “They had tremendous communication and great transparency. They were aligned with the coaches, and I got really good feedback from them. They’re really good. I’m proud of them to be able to get this type of win late in the season. The biggest thing is we just kept getting better all year long.”