PASADENA, Calif. -- For many Penn State fans, Sean Clifford's legacy was already set in stone. He is what he is -- warts and all -- and there have been a lot of strong feelings about the quarterback because he's just been around so damned long.
But in all fairness to Clifford, we need to re-evaluate his legacy, both in the present and for the future.
Clifford went 11-2 his first year as the starter and won a New Year's Six bowl game against Memphis in the Cotton Bowl. The Nittany Lions finished No. 9 in the country.
Clifford went 11-2 his final year as the starter and won the Rose Bowl. The Lions will finish in the top 10 once again this season.
The only other Penn State quarterback to win a Rose Bowl was Kerry Collins, the greatest QB in program history as he went on to play 17 seasons in the NFL.
Two top 10 finishes is pretty darn special. Yes, Clifford was more of a game manager than a star during those two seasons. But he also made a lot of big plays each year, including the winning TD pass at Purdue to open this season and an 88-yard TD pass in the Rose Bowl.
This is a guy who was booed at home by his own fans earlier this season. He's also the winningest quarterback in Penn State history now with 32 victories as the starter, surpassing Trace McSorley's record.
McSorley did it in three years, while it took Clifford four. That's a big part of the rub for many, along with it taking Clifford four years to become one of only seven Big Ten quarterbacks with 10,000 yards passing.
Clifford is not and has never been a great college quarterback.
But with all of these accomplishments -- solidified by a Rose Bowl victory during which he played great -- there is now no doubt that we all need to cut this guy some slack and appreciate him a whole lot more than we ever have. And hey, that includes me, because I've been as critical of him as anyone at times.
There was a funny exchange when Clifford was asked after the game about having so many ups and downs during his career.
"A lot of ups," James Franklin interjected.
Then the coach added, "A lot of ups, a few downs."
"Appreciate that, Coach," Clifford said. "No, it means a lot just to be in this position. I just think back to all the different teams that I've been a part of, and quarterback is a funny position because it gets all the recognition, but I depend on 10 other guys to get the job done constantly. If one guy messes up, including me, the whole play on offense is kind of wrecked.
"I just respect, love and appreciate every single man that has came through Penn State's program and impacted me in whatever way, whether that be coaches, administration, staff and especially my teammates.
"I just can't thank everybody enough for my experience at Penn State," he later added. "I cherished every minute of it -- the ups and the downs. I just couldn't be more thankful."
Hey, maybe Penn State fans should be more thankful that Clifford did stick around so long.
There might not be an 11-2 season with a Rose Bowl win had he not stayed so, so, so long.
Speaking of redemption ...
Congratulations to James Franklin.
Seriously.
This was a fantastic win for the coach, his first against a top 10 opponent since 2016. He had lost 11 such games in a row, and rightfully had earned the reputation of being a coach who couldn't win the big game.
There aren't many games bigger than the Rose Bowl. No, it's not beating Ohio State or Michigan, and those will ALWAYS be the teams Penn State is judged against. Franklin needs to find a way to beat both of those teams consistently.
But the biggest component of this victory is that, when the College Football Playoff expands to 12 teams in 2024, Penn State won't be having to beat the likes of Ohio State or Michigan in the first round, or probably even the second round.
No, to advance in that tournament down the road, the Lions are going to have to beat teams like Utah. That would be teams from outside the conference that Franklin and his staff would have to outcoach in order to win and advance.
Sunday's game was tied 14-14 at the half. There was a whole lot at stake in the second half, including how we feel about Franklin's gameday coaching ability.
Well, the way Penn State played on both sides of the ball in the second half was an excellent indication that Franklin and the staff had returned to their 2016 ways, when they were excellent at adjustments and usually crushed teams in the second half.
Yes, it helped the Lions that Utah quarterback Cameron Rising was knocked of the game with an injury. That changed the game. But Penn State had already taken a 21-14 lead by that point, and even if Rising had kept playing, it just never felt like Utah was going to be able to keep up with Penn State.
I didn't get a chance to ask Franklin after the game about what winning this game does for the Penn State program going forward. The locker room was open with access to every player, while Franklin was in a press conference elsewhere, so we couldn't be in both places.
But, I have asked Franklin in the past about the success of this season, and he's always responded with the same thing of, "This is who we've been."
But who Penn State has been the past two seasons was a major disappointment, going 11-11. And Franklin received a whole lot of criticism for the program's dropoff -- rightfully so.
Now, after an 11-2 season, a Rose Bowl victory and a top 10 ranking, there is just so much positive momentum for Penn State. The future appears to be incredibly bright.
Franklin deserves a whole lot of credit for weathering the storm the past two years, and bringing the program back to where we're once again talking about the next step of what it will take to now become elite.
