Penn State coach James Franklin checks Sean Clifford detractors

Following a big victory against Auburn on Saturday, Penn State coach James Franklin is all in on quarterback Sean Clifford. He made plays time and again to lead the Nittany Lions to a hard-fought 28-20 victory.

It is the second victory against a top 25 team for Penn State this season, as they took out Wisconsin in the season opener.

“I’m really happy for Sean,” Franklin said. “He’s taken a lot of criticism. Really happy for him, he battles his ass off. He’s tough as hell and he played great tonight. So, I’m really happy for him. Obviously, Jahan Dotson is one of the best receivers in the country.”

Clifford was incredibly accurate, going 28-of-32 for 280 yards and two touchdowns through the air. He also threw on interception.

His first touchdown came early on a four-yard connection with receiver Jahan Dotson. That gave the Nittany Lions an early 7-3 advantage over the Tigers.

“It’s all about 1-0 mentality,” Clifford said of the criticism surrounding him. “I lean on my brothers on the team and we have a great team. Really proud of these guys, gotta give all the credit to the offensive line. They were….all night long I had so much time, so proud of those guys.”

The game stayed close until the end, and Clifford’s poise kept the offense afloat. Auburn rallied to cut the lead to 21-20 early in the fourth quarter. On the very next drive, Clifford found Brenton Strange for a 40-yard catch. That put Penn State at the Auburn one-yard line and allowed running back Noah Cain to punch in a touchdown to give them cushion.

The Nittany Lions leaned on their defense the rest of the way to improve to 3-0. The next two Auburn drives ended with a punt and a turnover on downs, respectively.

They will look to make that 4-0 when they take on Villanova at noon ET next Saturday. With Sean Clifford leading the offense, James Franklin is confident this team has what it takes to win the Big Ten.