Who's playing quarterback for Penn State football? 3 things to know about Liam Clifford

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COLUMBUS, Ohio − Penn State football went with a surprise option at quarterback Saturday in the latest unexpected twist to this surreal season.

After losing two scholarship quarterbacks to injury in the past month, the Nittany Lions turned to senior receiver Liam Clifford as a change-of-pace QB during the second quarter against the No. 1 Buckeyes here in Ohio Stadium.

Clifford took a second-down snap and handed the ball off to Kaytron Allen, trailing 10-0. On the next play he caught his second pass of the season for 13 yards and a first down.

Could Clifford be the backup to redshirt freshman starter Ethan Grunkemeyer, too? He may get the call ahead of true freshman Bekkem Kritza — the fourth and final scholarship QB on the roster — and walk-on Jack Lambert. Third-string Jaxon Smolik was injured two weeks ago against Iowa and did not make the trip this weekend.

Kritza had never played a snap in a college game and, stunningly enough, had just returned to practice recently from his own undisclosed injury issues.

Here are three things to know about the senior from Mainville, Ohio:

Liam Clifford followed quarterback brother Sean Clifford to Penn State football

Liam Clifford got to play one season with older brother Sean at Penn State. He caught eight passes in 2022 during Sean’s senior season in which he led the Lions to 11 victories and a Rose Bowl win over Utah.

Sean Clifford enjoyed a record-setting career at Penn State, finishing as the program’s all-time leader in yards passing, completions and touchdown passes. He played six season for the Lions, the last four as a starter. He also led the Lions to 11 victories and a Cotton Bowl victory as a redshirt freshman in 2019.

Liam Clifford’s best Penn State football season in 2024

Liam Clifford’s most productive season was last year, catching 15 passes for 266 yards and a touchdown.

His best came against UCLA when he caught three passes for 107 yards and that TD in a victory in Beaver Stadium.

Clifford had just one reception this season coming into the Ohio State game.

Liam Clifford’s impressive Ohio high school career

Clifford was named the 2020 Ohio Prep Sportswriters Association Division I State Offensive Player of the Year. He led St. Xavier High to a 10-2 record and state championship with his 72 receptions for 1,090 yards receiving and 12 touchdowns.

He earned second-team all-state honors as a junior in 2019.

Frank Bodani covers Penn State football for the York Daily Record and USA Today Network. Contact him at  fbodani@ydr.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @YDRPennState.

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Penn State football senior Liam Clifford at quarterback vs Ohio State

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