The Minnesota Golden Gopher football team is 9-0 for the first time since 1904, but naturally, Penn State had other ideas coming into the game. With the fourth-ranked Nittany Lions looking to put an end to the Gophers’ magnificent start to the season, Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford took the role of pregame motivator during his speech in the tunnel.
FIRE US UP SEAN CLIFFORD 😤😤😤 pic.twitter.com/PiQtwg3TXX
— Barstool Penn State (@PSUBarstool) November 9, 2019
After claiming that the Gophers’ sellout crowd at TCF Bank Stadium came to see the Nittany Lions, Clifford took aim at P.J. Fleck’s mantra “Row the Boat,” by telling his entire team to “F*** their damn boat!”
One can’t blame Clifford for his sense of imagery before the game, but one can about the sophomore’s performance against the Gopher defense. Clifford went 23-of-43 for 340 yards and a touchdown, but also had three interceptions including the game-sealing interception by Jordan Howden that gave Minnesota a 31-26 victory.
In the old days, such a pregame speech wouldn’t have mattered. However, with this being the 21st century and having video evidence, Clifford took a beating for his speech on Twitter after the game.
No life jacket for you Sean Clifford https://t.co/ftZfW2hyuE
— Kristian 🇳🇴 (@Kooz_WRLD) November 9, 2019
https://twitter.com/BWhitecotton/status/1193271244344438785
Minnesota fans rowing the boat over Penn State’s grave pic.twitter.com/N86IeA6CLY
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) November 9, 2019
And what would roasting a guy named Clifford be without the reference of a certain big, red dog?
https://twitter.com/DommieIngram/status/1193267378550956033
In addition to the online beatdown, Clifford was clearly having a moment of regret after the loss as he was surrounded by reporters wondering what exactly he was thinking throughout one of the biggest upsets of the college football season.
Sean Clifford postgame scrum. pic.twitter.com/VWbvShosj6
— Ben Jones (@Ben_Jones88) November 9, 2019
It was tough afternoon for Clifford, but the good news is that it appears he may be getting a really nice fruit basket from another college fan base looking to make its way into the College Football Playoff.
Ugh, now Penn State even has more quality losses than us. Today is ruined.
— Barstool Clemson (@BarstoolClemson) November 9, 2019
Clifford’s speech is another example of how quickly things spread like wildfire and after being on the losing end of the Gopher’ biggest win in nearly 50 years, he might want to have his next pep talk in the locker room before taking on No. 1 ranked Ohio State next week.
