James Franklin discusses decision to keep Sean Clifford in game after big hit

James Franklin knows how tough Sean Clifford is, but the SEC found out about it on Saturday.

Early in Penn State‘s showdown against Auburn, Clifford took a huge hit, fumbling the football out of bounds. While the opposing crowd got riled up from it, the Nittany Lions quarterback popped right back up, staying in the game.

Afterwards, Franklin discussed his decision to let Clifford stay in the game, one that worked out wonderfully.

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“To be honest, I leave that to our medical people. I watch him as well, and his teammates do, but he popped right up,” stated Franklin. “He’s taken some big licks in his career, and he’s a tough kid. Been through a lot, both physically and mentally. I’m proud of him. I’m just really proud for Sean Clifford right now. And I’m proud of our team, to come down here and get this type of win. Gutsy performance, a lot of things again that don’t show up in the stat sheet.

“He’s a tough guy. That was a big hit. That was a physical game. I’m not sure where you guys are sitting, but down there on the field, it was a fast, physical game.”

Evidently, Sean Clifford can take a licking and keep on ticking. After the hit, the Penn State quarterback stayed in the game and guided the Nittany Lions to a 41-12 drubbing of the Tigers, completing 14 of 19 passes for 178 yards.

Next up for Penn State is Central Michigan, as they continue to fly under the radar as one of the most impressive teams in the country.

More on Penn State Nittany Lions, victory over Auburn Tigers

No. 22 Penn State moved to 3-0 with its most impressive win of the season, knocking off Auburn on the road 41-12 in Week 3. For coach James Franklin‘s squad, the win was a huge step in the right direction following a narrow win at Purdue and a more comfortable victory last week over Ohio.

The Nittany Lions took the lead midway through the first quarter and never looked back in the rout.

“Great stadium, great atmosphere. Got to give it to Auburn,” Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford told the CBS broadcast crew after the game. “Really great team, they brought it too. It was loud. Crazy loud, but I’m just super proud of our guys. I thought that we played a really clean game, complementary football.”

Clifford was excellent, effective when needed as a passer while coordinating a strong effort by Penn State’s ground game. He scored once as a runner, then handed off to running backs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen, who each scored a pair of rushing touchdowns.

Singleton’s second touchdown run from 54 yards out added insult to injury for the Tigers, who once again couldn’t manage much offensively.

The freshman running back led all runners with 10 carries for 124 yards and his two scores, while Allen chipped in nine carries for 52 yards and two touchdowns.

“Nick has been improving ever since he stepped on campus,” Clifford said. “It’s been really impressive to watch. It’s just a start for him, Kaytron, Keyvone (Lee), Devyn (Ford). We have a great running back room, we’ve just got to keep on stacking.”

On3 Staff Report contributed to this article.