By: Tyler Millen - GoPSUsports.com
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State was within its own 15-yard line on third-and-eight when it attacked a defensive matchup it prepared for. UCLA brought a cover zero set with no extra safeties in coverage and redshirt junior wide receiver Liam Clifford carved his way past the man-to-man defense for the biggest play of his career.
Junior quarterback Drew Allar launched a pass from the Nittany Lions 5-yard line and Clifford corralled it with a belt-high catch on the UCLA 45-yard line before racing down to the 29. The 57-yard pitch-and-catch gave Clifford a new career-high 107 receiving yards on three catches.
UCLA’s defensive positioning gave offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki a prime opportunity to make the play call as a clean pocket for Allar gave him enough time to let Clifford’s route develop. Clifford said he recognized the alignment out wide and understood what he needed to execute.
“As soon as I saw it, I knew that was probably what we were going to call,” Clifford said. “It’s something we’ve repped in practice and all throughout camp a ton so it was exciting that we finally got to call it in a game and execute it at a high level. I really should have scored on it. I should have just kept running. I got greedy. I was trying to toss him a little bit.”
Each of Clifford’s three plays classified as explosive which is a gain of 15 yards or more. All three grabs were also made on third down including his first play of the afternoon which converted on third-and-11 for 26 yards.
Clifford’s catches were primarily seam routes over the middle of the field and the wideout said those were a point of emphasis for the offense during preparation for the battle with the Bruins because of their diversified defensive coverages.
Clifford said Kotelnicki and others stressed how UCLA’s defense would drop into a cover 2 zone defense with a mixture of Tampa 2 coverage. Matching this in the passing game became a schematic focus for Clifford and the wide receivers as the Maineville, Ohio, product said it was about being ready for those looks.
Penn State entered the contest third in the country in explosive play percentage and cashed in on what Clifford called “the money down.” Clifford said maximizing third down opportunities not only extends drives but allows Kotelnicki and the offensive staff to place the ball into the hands of other playmakers the Nittany Lions possess.
“Being able to get the ball in different guys’ hands is big,” Clifford said. “Allowing defenses to not be able to key on certain people and that goes beyond the receiver room. That's tight ends, running backs, quarterbacks so being able to - we talk a lot about this as an offense - cause stress for defenses is big.”
Clifford shared how his confidence grows with each catch he makes as the first 100-yard performance of his career came in Penn State’s 27-11 win over UCLA. Clifford now has 180 yards on the season which already surpasses his season high.
Clifford credited the success he had on Saturday to his fellow wideouts and wide receivers coach Marques Hagans. Clifford said the work Hagans does goes “unnoticed” and shared that the behind closed door moments with Hagans and the receivers allows for performances like these to happen.
Hagans has built a level of connectivity amongst the wide receivers and that was evident against the Bruins as four different receivers each recorded a reception including Harrison Wallace III who registered 46 yards on three grabs.
Clifford said there’s no ceiling for the passing game and for his own personal development that continues to take center stage. Clifford has made a commitment to consistency with his approach that’s allowed him to see the dividends of his work with Hagans and the wide receivers.
“My preparation is not going to change no matter what,” Clifford said. “Each week, whether I have zero yards or 200 yards, I’m going to prepare the same way, make sure we push the room the same way and they push me the same way so it’s exciting to get a 100-yard game but it’s back to work tomorrow and nothing would have changed if I had no catches today.”