WATCH: Sean Clifford leads late touchdown drive, sends Penn State to victory
Penn State had its back against the wall against Purdue on the road Saturday night. But the Nittany Lions, led by quarterback Sean Clifford, scored with 57 seconds left to re-take the lead — and get back into the driver’s seat en route to a 35-31 victory in West Lafayette.
The drive started with a punt by Purdue into the end zone. From there, the Penn State offense went to work, capped by a 10-yard pass to Keyvone Lee to make it a 35-31 advantage. One the extra point went through, it meant the Boilermakers would need a touchdown to have a chance at a victory. They didn’t get it, and Penn State held on.
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It was part of Clifford’s redemption campaign following a huge pick-six to give Purdue a 31-28 lead with 8:29 left to play. On top of that, he didn’t even start the second half. He headed to the locker room with the trainer and Drew Allar led the Nittany Lions’ first drive out of the break. But Clifford came back and, although he struggled in the second half, led Penn State to the victory — capped by a sack from Demeioun Robinson as time expired.
On the night, Clifford went 20 for 37 passing for 282 yards and four touchdowns as part of the effort in the season-opening victory. Mitchell Tinsley and Brenton Strange were the two top targets, combining for 161 yards and two touchdowns.
Next up for Penn State is a matchup with Ohio back home in State College.
James Franklin on Penn State’s game-winning drive: ‘We work two-minute all the time’
That game-winning drive was the highlight of the night for the sixth-year quarterback, and Franklin said he wasn’t surprised by it. After all, two-minute drills are a big part of Penn State’s practices.
“It was very impressive,” Franklin said. “We work two-minute all the time and it showed up for us right there. It was a little all-or-nothing on offense. We either went three-and-out or went down the field. We’ve got to be more consistent. But you can learn a lot in games like this, and I’d rather learn them with a win.”