5 Questions for Michigan Football vs. Penn State

Can Michigan contain Sean Clifford?

Awhile back, I wrote an article ranking the best quarterbacks in the Big Ten before the season started. So far, some of my predictions have been true, and some of my predictions have been false, but what hasn’t been false is still my respect for PSU QB Sean Clifford.

Sean Clifford can cause issues simply because he is a very experienced veteran at this point in his career, so he’s seen every type of defense, and he is a serious threat with his legs.

If you force Sean Clifford to throw the football a lot, there’s a huge chance that Michigan will get a few turnovers, but if Michigan football can’t contain Clifford’s escapability, it could be a long day for the Wolverines defense.

Michigan football has to really emphasize this week to not get too deep up the field in their pass rush lanes, thus allowing open holes for Clifford to run through. This happened a few times last year, on some key situations, and it absolutely cannot happen on third and long.

There’s nothing like holding an opponent, forcing them into third and long, and then giving up a backbreaking third and long conversion because of a failure to contain the QB in the pocket.

Sean Clifford knows when to use his legs to escape, so it will be extremely important for Michigan to keep him in the pocket.