Welcome to Penn State's Two-Quarterback System
Before heading to Rutgers, and without giving away his weekend gameplan, Penn State coach James Franklin sounded averse to the thought of having to change quarterbacks again.
"You don't really want a quarterback controversy," Franklin said last week, "or you don't really want the situation where you're having to go back and forth, because obviously that means something's not going well."
So Franklin's answer? Play both.
For the first time this season, and really in his seven years at Penn State, Franklin's offense essentially ran a two-quarterback system, albeit with one tuned to a particular package. Sean Clifford and Will Levis shared the role Saturday in Penn State's 23-7 win over Penn State, and it marked a fascinating decision that could reverberate into 2021.
Clifford started, threw all 22 of the team's passes (completing 15, one for a touchdown, another for an interception) and ran eight times. Will Levis, meanwhile, entered in targeted situations, and took a curious third-quarter series himself, to rush 17 times for 65 yards.
Levis tied running back Keyvone Lee for the team-high in carries, dressing his quarterback-draw package with the perpetual threat of throwing. Which he did not do once. Franklin said after the game that, of course, he has to mix in some throws there, especially when opposing safeties crash every play, and will continue to seek more balance.
Nevertheless, Penn State is in an intriguing place with its quarterbacks, and not merely for the remainder of this season. Franklin is in a delicate spot with the position, trying to keep both quarterbacks upbeat and engaged as they head into an offseason where transferring will be easy and guilt-free. Unless he wants to mine the NCAA transfer portal (AKA college quarterback free agency) for an experienced rental player, Franklin has to consider the offense's future in the form of Clifford and Levis.
Penn State quarterback Will Levis (Chris Pedota, NorthJersey.com)
So, as he did with Tommy Stevens, Franklin has given Levis a package. With Stevens, it was known as the "Lion." Levis said that his was called the "Falcon" package for last week's game at Michigan, where Levis was called upon to be a short-yardage grinder.
That expanded Saturday at Rutgers, signaling that Penn State entered the game specifically intending to play a two-quarterback system.
Part of that was a function of weather. Wet, cold conditions prevented Penn State from attempting too many deep throws. Clifford said that, at some points, the wind made snaps difficult to catch.
Another contributing factor was Clifford and his uneasy start to the season. Last week, offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca said Clifford fell prey to "trying to be too perfect," which contributed to his eight interceptions (Clifford had his ninth Saturday). Clifford agreed with that assessment, saying he finds himself managing situations better now.
"There were times I was forcing throws or I was trying to get too creative," Clifford said. "It's good not to be a robot, but at the same time, there's just plays that were careless. I feel like right now I'm playing more of a managing-the-game [approach], within myself, playing the way I know how to play."
So last week at Michigan, Penn State played more Levis. And on Saturday at Rutgers, the offense called on him even further. Levis lined in empty backfields, with two tight ends and in traditional single-back sets. He ran out of every formation and in every situation.
In the third quarter, Levis took an entire series himself, which consisted of three quarterback runs and a punt. It was the game's most interesting sequence, considering Penn State had just allowed Rutgers to score a touchdown after intercepting a Clifford tipped pass.
At that point, Rutgers could glimpse a comeback, and Penn State chose to run its backup-quarterback package. At that moment, Franklin had a platoon.
Running back Devyn Ford, who returned after missing last week's game because of a death in the family, liked the changeup. "I compared them to [the New Orleans Saints'] Drew Brees and Taysom Hill type of flow," he said.
But it's now the latest unexpected flow to emerge from an unconventional Penn State season, one that still has a chance to end with a .500 record, should the Lions be invited to (and ultimately win) a bowl game.
How will Penn State manage this over the next two weeks? Clifford said to expect more of the same.
"When we go in, we're executing to the best of our ability, and when we're out, we both are cheering each other on," Clifford said. "Will and I have a great relationship, and especially this year, it's been kind of necessary to have a great relationship. But it's been very easy, because Will and I are very similar. We're both hard-working and we both want what's best for the team. And I think it's working right now."
Get the latest Penn State news by joining the community. Click "Follow" at the top right of our AllPennState page. Mobile users click the notification bell. And please follow AllPennState on Twitter @MarkWogenrich.
