Sean Clifford Benched for Will Levis as Penn State QB vs. Nebraska

With the Penn State Nittany Lions trailing the Nebraska Cornhuskers 24-3 in the second quarter of a battle between winless teams Saturday, Penn State head coach James Franklin benched junior quarterback Sean Clifford in favor of sophomore Will Levis.

Franklin made the move after Clifford fumbled while getting sacked by Deontai Williams, who recovered the ball and returned it 26 yards for a touchdown.

Penn State began the season ranked No. 8 in the country, but it is off to a hugely disappointing 0-3 start after losses to Indiana, Ohio State and Maryland.

Prior to getting pulled Saturday, Clifford was just 5-of-8 passing for 37 yards with no touchdowns and one interception against a Huskers team that entered the game 0-2 after losses to Ohio State and Northwestern.

Clifford was PSU's starter last season when it went 11-2 and won the Cotton Bowl. He largely played well, completing 59.2 percent of his passes for 2,654 yards, 23 touchdowns and seven interceptions and rushing for 402 yards and five scores.

Expectations were high for Clifford and the Nittany Lions entering 2020, but they clearly have not lived up to their billing.

In three games before getting removed Saturday, Clifford was completing 56.6 percent of his attempts for 859 yards, nine touchdowns and five interceptions, as well as 150 yards rushing and one touchdown on the ground.

While the counting stats weren't bad at all for Clifford, he made far too many mistakes with five picks in three games and carried that over to Saturday's clash with Nebraska, as he threw an interception and lost a fumble.

Levis saw some action last season, going 28-of-47 for 223 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. He also showcased his athleticism with 213 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns.

Switching from Clifford to Levis did seem to pay immediate dividends for the Nittany Lions, as Levis' first drive lasted 13 plays, spanned 52 yards and ended with a field goal.