Penn State redshirt junior wide receiver Liam Clifford smiled Tuesday afternoon as he discussed seeing the palm trees in Florida this week.Im from Cincinnati, Ohio and I obviously go to school in Pennsylvania so being in the warm weather is always a blessing, said Clifford, a 2021 St. Xavier High School graduate.Clifford, a Maineville native, is soaking in the opportunity as Penn State (13-2) plays Notre Dame (13-1) in a College Football Playoff Semifinal at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in the Capital One Orange Bowl. The game will be televised by ESPN.The winner plays Ohio State (12-2) or Texas (13-2) in the College Football Playoff National Championship Jan. 20 in Atlanta.It is definitely cool, said Clifford, who helped to lead St. Xavier to the 2020 Division I state title. As a kid, you dream of playing in games like this, especially against a team like Notre Dame. Two very traditional teams. So its been fun to kind of just take it day by day and soak it in while we can.Notre Dame has several Cincinnati-area players on its roster including running back GiBran Payne (La Salle), safety Ben Minich (Lakota West), Moeller cornerback Karson Hobbs (Moeller), safety Taebron Bennie-Powell (Lakota West) and offensive lineman Ashton Craig (Lawrenceburg).Clifford, the 2020 Division I state offensive player of the year at St. X, has played in all 15 games for the Nittany Lions this season. He has 18 receptions for 286 yards and a touchdown.Anytime you see kids you coached go on to do great things it means a lot for the coaches and teachers involved, St. X coach Steve Specht said.Liam is a special player. He was a three-year starter for us, but more importantly, he was a great leader, captain his senior year and just a great representative of St. Xavier. I cant say his success surprises any of us. Great human being. We are all Penn State fans right now!Clifford is the younger brother of Green Bay Packers quarterback Sean Clifford, a former Penn State star who is on the Packers practice squad.Liam Clifford said the Penn State players always talk about having 65 plays on average each game. The Nittany Lions definitely want an additional 65 plays after Thursday night. Clifford said hes enjoyed the chemistry on the team.Its been a fun year, Clifford said. I wouldnt trade it for the world.SIGN UP: Subscribe to our high school sports newsletter