Sean Clifford, Penn State's quarterback, is expected to be fully fit Saturday when the 20th-ranked Nittany Lions travel to No. 5 Ohio State.
James Franklin, coach of the Nittany Lions, said Tuesday that Sean Clifford will be 100 percent for the Buckeyes. Clifford sustained an injury in the first-half of an Oct. 9 match against Iowa. He did not return. Clifford was limited to practice for the next two weeks, and Saturday's 20-18 loss at home to Illinois in nine overtimes.
Senior quarterback, 55.9%, completed 165 yards and a touchdown in Illinois. He also had five rushes of minus-28 yards. He was active throughout the game.
Franklin stated Tuesday that "Last week we weren't certain." "We were trying see where he was going." Sean is now much farther ahead than he was before, which is a positive.
Franklin anticipates Clifford will be more mobile against Ohio State. He ran for 58 yards and 66 yards earlier in the season. He also had 36 yards rushing and a touchdown on three drives against Iowa before sustaining an apparent injury to his lower back or ribs.
Franklin stated, "That's a huge part of Sean and his game, his ability to prolong plays." He was very limited in his ability to do [against Illinois]. We tried to limit it as best we could. That was obviously the challenge with a guy like Sean. It's an important part of his work and his play.
"Obviously, that being limited clearly impacted him as well as us."
Clifford is entering his third year as Penn State's starter. The team entered the Ohio State game after back-to-back defeats.
