UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- They were really good. Then everyone thought they would be good, but they were actually terrible. Then they were on the edge of becoming great, only to be lousy again. Now they're good, and hoping for one more chance to prove they're even better than that.
Whew. What a wild roller coaster ride it's been for the Penn State seniors, going back to the 2019 season.
The Nittany Lions went 11-2 and won the Cotton Bowl that year, then were ranked No. 7 in the preseason in 2020 but started 0-5. They got up to No. 4 last year after a 5-0 start, then collapsed and finished 7-6.
As Penn State gets set for senior day Saturday against Michigan State, what's really at stake is not just another win. It's a 10th win. That would be a signature number for this season, which still does not include a signature win.
For all intents and purposes, the signature win of this season has been the cumulative effect of what all of it has done for the Penn State football program.
"We've got good mojo about us right now," James Franklin said this week.
Mojo -- that's such an awesome word. One of my favorite sports movies is "Friday Night Lights," and the Permian football team's slogan is mojo. I cannot hear that word without thinking about the movie, and what I believe to be the best speech ever by a coach in a sports film. Here's Billy Bob Thornton's halftime speech about "being perfect."
"Guys are having fun in the locker room," Franklin said. "Guys are having fun out at practice every single day, in the meeting room. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it's all puppies and rainbows. There is tough coaching going on. Accountability going on. But I think overall, we're in a good place."
Bingo.
Penn State football appears to be in a very good place right now and for the immediate future, and nobody could have said that entering this season after going 11-11 the past two years.
"It means the world because we're getting this program trending in the right direction, and the future is bright," senior defensive tackle PJ Mustipher said. "We just got to finish this year out strong."
THE SEAN CLIFFORD EXPERIENCE
It's been a wild ride for all the seniors and upperclassmen in the program, none more so, of course, than Sean Clifford.
"Since Saturday will be my final home game in Beaver Stadium, I really want to thank our fans and this amazing community for everything that we've all been a part of," Clfford said. "We have the best fans in college football, in my opinion.
"It's been an honor that I've been able to walk into Beaver Stadium and to be a captain for this team, this great university, this community and especially for our fans."
What a classy answer by a guy who just last month was booed in a classless display by thousands of fans during pregame introductions at Beaver Stadium. We can only hope that doesn't happen again, and hopefully Penn State's fans show they're better than that.
Even if you feel like Clifford doesn't deserve your cheers when he's announced as the starter Saturday, he certainly doesn't deserve your boos. No matter how average he's been as a football player, he has represented everything that Penn State fans love to brag about so much with regards to integrity and respect.
I want to tell you a story about another quarterback who wore No. 14 and once was shamefully booed by Penn State fans. It was Anthony Morelli, who had an average career that failed to live up to expectations as he went 9-4 as the starter in 2006 and '07. Morelli was a polite and respectful young man who did the best he could, but it often just wasn't good enough. And hey, that happens in sports sometimes.
Morelli came back for the 2008 Blue-White Game and was honored on the field at one point. There were 73,000 fans on hand that day, and it seemed like roughly half of them booed Morelli.
It was a disgrace.
Back then, the media talked to Joe Paterno before the spring game, not after, and so we didn't get to hear JoePa say anything about the fans booing Morelli. So, I called the coach up at his house a couple of days later for a comment about the situation.
"I'm just disappointed that they would boo Anthony," Paterno told me. "He did a great job for us a couple years, worked hard and certainly did not deserve to be booed.
"That doesn't belong in college sports," Paterno said of booing. "I don't think there's anybody that deserves to be booed, not college kids. Whether they're playing football or baseball or softball or what, they get out there to have a little fun, represent their institution the best way they can and hopefully they win some."
Sean Clifford won a lot in 2019, going 11-2. He lost a lot the past two years. But he's won a lot more this year and, if the Lions can win today and in the bowl game, he would have another 11-2 season.
"The biggest word for me with him is perseverance," Franklin said. "That's probably the word that would describe him best throughout his Penn State experience."
Will any of that be enough to rewrite Clifford's legacy? Well, he'll probably always be considered an average college quarterback, so in that regard, no.
But, like all the seniors on this year's team, Clifford has done his share for the program to bring Penn State back to a level of national prominence.
To bring back the mojo.
And there's a whole lot to be said for that.
By the way, Saturday will indeed be it for Clifford's Penn State career at Beaver Stadium -- as a player or as a coach. I have wondered if him returning as an assistant coach on Franklin's staff would be a possibility at some point, and the coach shot down that scenario.
"I just don't think he has an interest in that," Franklin said. "I think Sean loves football, but he's an entrepreneur and a businessman and has already started those things in the next chapter of his life. He's prepared for when football comes to an end to kind of do those things full time."
LASTING LEGACY
Speaking of legacies, safety Ji'Ayir Brown will leave a good one as a leader of the secondary and one of the team's best players over a two-year stretch.
He's a big reason why the secondary has been so good, and his presence off the field epitomizes the strong leadership on this team.
“My legacy means everything to me,” Brown said. “That’s why I play so hard, I work out so hard, is to build that legacy. When you leave the game, you want people to remember who you are and what kind of effort and attitude you played with. I want to be remembered as a great leader, first and foremost, to me, to my teammates, to the Penn State community.”
THE ESSENTIALS
• Who: No. 11 Penn State (9-2, 6-2 Big Ten) vs. Michigan State (5-6, 3-5)
• When: 4 p.m. Saturday
• Where: Beaver Stadium (106,572)
• Weather: Sunny 53°, 0% chance rain, 7 mph wind
• TV: FS1 (national)
• Radio: WPIT 96.5 FM
• Satellite: Sirius XM 83, online 983
• Box score: Stat Broadcast
• Media notes: Penn State | Michigan State
TWO REASONS
Two reasons Penn State will win:
1. The defense has been playing at such a high level, and there's no reason to believe that will change here.
2. One of the impressive things about the Lions is that they have not played down to their level of competition during their three-game winning streak. They've been crushing bad teams, and Michigan State is another bad team.
Two reasons Michigan State could win:
1. The Spartans do have something to play for because a win would make them bowl eligible. Generally, that is a big motivational factor for teams in this situation. However, with everything that's gone wrong this season -- including seven players getting charged this week for their role in the ugly brawl at Michigan -- it's just as likely that this team doesn't want the season to continue and is just ready for things to come to an end.
2. Sparty did win at Illinois a few weeks ago, 23-15, which was very surprising because the Illini have a solid team. If that Michigan State team shows up, it could stay close against the Lions. Again, it all just comes down to the level of motivation on the team.
FIVE KEYS
My five keys for Penn State:
1. Don't take this team lightly. The Lions have a lot of reasons to feel good about themselves, and this is senior day, so emotions will be strong. But we've seen Michigan State give the Lions a lot of problems at times over the years, and if the Spartans are motivated by trying to get to a bowl game, this could be a tougher game than many expect.
2. Start fast and don't let up. If Penn State can get up by 10-14 points early, it's very possible Michigan State will quit and this will turn into a blowout. Let's see if Franklin and the staff are very aggressive early looking to get a quick lead and test how much effort the Spartans are going to show.
3. Penn State is without leading receiver Parker Washington, who's injured and done for the season, and that could catch up to the team in the passing game. Mitchell Tinsley is a solid receiver, but after him, the Lions don't really have another really reliable wideout. So, look for them to lean on the tight ends catching the ball, and maybe some screens to the running backs.
4. Because of No. 3, the running game will be even more important in this contest. It's doubtful that Clifford will have or even be asked to have a great day throwing the ball, so the tandem of Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen could get heavy usage.
5. We'll see if injured left tackle Olu Fashanu returns to action in this one, or if he has to miss a fourth straight game. Freshman Drew Shelton has done a nice job filling in, but there still needs to be some concern with his lack of experience. The O-line has done a nice job despite losing Fashanu and left guard Landon Tengwall, and that will need to continue here, especially if the Lions decide to rely heavily on the ground game.
PREDICTION
Penn State 31, Michigan State 16
Washington is out. We'll see if Fashanu and/or cornerback Joey Porter Jr. plays. My hunch is no. Those are three outstanding players, and if Michigan State does come ready to play, Penn State could find itself missing those guys enough at times for this game to be closer than expected.
HOW TO BET THE GAME
My streak of seven consecutive winners came to an end last week as I took the under of 45 in Penn State's 55-10 win at Rutgers.
The Lions are favored here by a whopping 19 points. Over/under is 53.
Buy Michigan State up to +21 for -137 ($100 would pay $73).
I gotta think Sparty will show some kind of pride in this game after its terrible season. And again, if the Lions are still missing so many key players, that could prevent it from being a blowout.
