What the Big Ten Network Crew Saw at Penn State Training Camp
The Big Ten Network broadcast crew left Penn State football practice Saturday with a strong impression of the team but one notable question. It's the same question many people have about the 2021 Nittany Lions.
"The starting quarterback, as a returning player, definitely could be a little bit more than what we're seeing right now," BTN analyst Joshua Perry said in a Twitter video posted by host Dave Revsine. "It could have been the one day in camp, we don’t know that. But they can get a little bit more out of him."
"Him" is quarterback Sean Clifford, the Lions' third-year starter who said he feels "like a new player" under offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich. Clifford, playing for his fourth offensive coordinator at Penn State, sounded confident and invigorated at Penn State's media day recently, signaling that he's ready to put the 2020 struggles behind him.
Perry said that Clifford has an opportunity to do that before Penn State's opener at Wisconsin on Sept. 4, adding on Twitter that there's "no need to sound the alarm."
"Quarterback is a position that I still think has to make improvements, and there's plenty of time," Perry said. "Still a lot of time in training camp."
Elsewhere, BTN's Howard Griffith and Gerry DiNardo liked what they saw from Penn State's running backs and defense, particularly its speed. Griffith raved about the backs, saying that he would be "hard-pressed to see a better-looking running back group than they group we saw today."
Perry really liked the receivers, while DiNardo posed an interesting suggestion for Penn State's defense with regard to Wisconsin.
"That defense can run," DiNardo said. "I don’t know, against Wisconsin, if they attack them downhill, but they’ve got time to work on their gameplan. ... They are built to stop the spread, and my guess is, against a downhill team like Wisconsin, they might have some movement up front."
The BTN crew is touring training camps at all 14 Big Ten programs, offering insight and interviews from practice. The Penn State segment is scheduled to air Monday.
Check out Revsine's teaser video and clips below.
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