Veteran wide receiver Liam Clifford brings ‘secret sauce’ to Penn State's offense

UNIVERSITY PARK — Penn State’s situation at quarterback is dire.

Redshirt freshman Ethan Grunkemeyer has done a commendable job handling the huddle — albeit on a struggling unit as a whole — while relieving the injured Drew Allar.

In trying to find a spark with two-quarterback sets, redshirt sophomore Jaxon Smolik, Grunkemeyer’s backup, suffered an apparent arm/hand injury that held him out against Ohio State. He remains week-to-week, interim coach Terry Smith said Wednesday, after Smolik was not present at practice.

Penn State has just two other quarterbacks on its roster. Freshman Bekkem Kritza was not at practice while dealing with an illness, and walk-on Jack Lambert traveled for the first time in his career to Columbus.

The Nittany Lions thus have turned elsewhere at the most important position on the field.

Fifth-year wide receiver Liam Clifford warmed up with the quarterbacks at Ohio State and was used as a wildcat runner and a trick-play thrower. He appeared to reprise that role Wednesday night, spending the media’s brief practice viewing session with the quarterbacks and not with the receivers.

“He might be some secret sauce or something like that,” Smith said when asked if this is a long-term situation.

Clifford played some quarterback while growing up in Cincinnati, but he only started practicing the position at Penn State over the bye week leading to the Ohio State game.

Teammates have been impressed by the product.

“You can definitely tell it’s natural to him. He’s been doing his (stuff),” redshirt senior tight end Khalil Dinkins said. “He’s been throwing some nice balls. I’m happy for him. I think he can do some good things right now.”

Clifford played nine total snaps at Ohio State, including three as the quarterback. He attempted one pass on a tricky jet sweep, an incompletion, and secured 14 receiving yards. In his career, Clifford owns 42 receptions for 530 yards and one touchdown.

Dinkins said Clifford has thrown passes up to 20 or 25 yards in practice thus far and has nice touch.

He added that Clifford’s background as a wide receiver is helpful, allowing Clifford to know where his receivers are supposed to be before he throws.

“I think it just shows what type of player he is, that he can be versatile and you can count on him, honestly, for anything,” Dinkins said. “Liam’s just such a smart, intellectual guy that you know you can ask questions, and he’s gonna know the answer.”

Of course, quarterback runs in Clifford’s blood. His older brother, Sean, played the position at Penn State for six years, including four as the starter. He left Happy Valley as the program’s all-time leader in passing yards.

Dinkins and redshirt junior offensive lineman Vega Ioane overlapped with both Cliffords. They jokingly agreed Liam Clifford could use some teaching from his older brother, especially when it comes to the volume of his pre-snap cadence.

Either way, Clifford has filled a unique need for Penn State as he nears the end of his college career.

“He’s a guy that’s been around for a while. He’s stepping up, doing big things for our offense, wherever we need him,” Ioane said. “He’s doing a fine job of just meeting the standard, helping our team however he can.”