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Penn State

James Franklin lauds Sean Clifford after Penn State's bounce back win vs. Minnesota

On3 imageby:Andrew Graham•10/22/22•

AndrewEdGraham

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STATE COLLEGE, PA - OCTOBER 22: Sean Clifford #14 of the Penn State Nittany Lions looks on against the Minnesota Golden Gophers during the first half at Beaver Stadium on October 22, 2022 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)

The drubbing of Minnesota that Penn State undertook on Saturday night in front of a whiteout crowd was just what the doctor ordered. A 45-17 win over a conference opponent the week after getting clocked by Michigan has the Nittany Lions back on the right track.

At the center of the bounce back for Penn State was sixth-year senior quarterback Sean Clifford. Clifford completed 23-of-31 pass attempts for 295 yards and four passing touchdowns, plus an interception.

“He’s just resilient,” Franklin said. “And he’s done it for a long time here. He’s battle-tested. And I’m proud of him. I love him. I’m proud of him. And his teammates have his back. So it’s great to see him come out and play well tonight.”

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Clifford spread the love on Saturday night, too, completing passes to eight different pass catchers. His touchdowns went to four different Nittany Lion teammates

And the run game got going, with freshman backs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen each cracking 75 yards. Singleton added a pair of rushing touchdowns. Penn State averaged 5.1 yards a carry against the Gophers.

It was a complete performance for Penn State, stymying the Gophers at every turn while the Minnesota offense floundered with a backup in. Backup quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis completed just nine passes for 175 yards, with one touchdown and one interception.

Running back Mo Ibrahim did break the 100 yard threshold for Minnesota, but did so on 30 total carries at a 3.4 yard per rush clip.

Without readily available answers on offense and an inability to slow Penn State down, things got out of hand as Clifford and co. romped.

“I’m just proud of the entire staff, the players,” Franklin said. “To come out here and play a complete game. We started a little slow, especially on the offensive side of the ball. But overall, very, very pleased with how we played tonight.”