Clifford stars, No. 15 Penn State’s defense hammers Idaho

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Sean Clifford completed 14 of 23 passes for 280 yards and two touchdowns to lead No. 15 Penn State over Idaho 79-7 on Saturday.

Making his first career start, Clifford chipped in 57 rushing yards on seven carries and hooked up with receiver KJ Hamler for scoring strikes of 36 and 21 yards.

Journey Brown and Noah Cain both added a pair of touchdown runs while Ricky Slade, Devyn Ford and Nick Eury each ran for scores. Jake Pinegar kicked two field goals and Jordan Stout made another for Penn State (1-0). Will Levis threw a touchdown pass to tight end Brenton Strange in the fourth quarter.

The Nittany Lions overcame early sloppiness before coasting the rest of the way to their biggest point total since an 81-0 win against Cincinnati in 1991.

A botched handoff and a misfire from Clifford forced them to settle for a pair of field goals on their first two possessions. But Penn State scored touchdowns on five of its next eight drives and went into halftime leading 44-0.

Idaho didn’t cross midfield until halfway through the second quarter, managed just one first down in the first half, went 1 for 15 on third down and finished with just 145 yards, compared with Penn State’s 673.

Mason Petrino got the Vandals on the board with a 1-yard touchdown pass to Logan Kendall in the fourth quarter.

THE TAKEAWAY

Idaho: The Vandals didn’t have much success with either Petrino or Colton Richardson at quarterback as their offensive line was outmatched and manhandled by what is expected to be one of the Big Ten’s best front sevens. Idaho will get a better look at what it has when it hosts Division II opponent Central Washington in a week.

Penn State: Although the Nittany Lions were shaky in the red zone early, their defense was anything but. With the game out of hand as early as the first quarter, defensive coordinator Brent Pry used the opportunity to get some of his younger players — most of whom he expects to play big roles this year — into action. In total, the Nittany Lions played nearly every player listed on their three-deep depth chart.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Beating up on an FCS opponent probably won’t propel Penn State much higher this early.

UP NEXT

Idaho hosts Central Washington on Sept. 7.

Buffalo visits Penn State on Sept. 7.