James Franklin reacts to Penn State win, provides Sean Clifford injury update

Sean Clifford took a trip to the locker room at the start of the second half vs. Purdue, and Penn State fans held their collective breath. After the “gutsy” victory, Nittany Lions coach James Franklin addressed what happened.

Clifford’s departure opened the door for star freshman Drew Allar to come in and take his first collegiate snaps in the season opener, going 2-for-4 for 26 yards. But Clifford, the sixth-year quarterback, returned on Penn State’s next series — and, ultimately, led the Nittany Lions on a game-winning drive in the final minutes to seal a 35-31 victory over Purdue.

Franklin was, understandably, happy after the game. Part of the reason for that was Clifford wasn’t dealing with a serious injury. As it turns out, it was just cramps.

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“Sean kept cramping up and we had to get Drew in there,” Franklin told FOX Sports’ Jenny Taft. “But just proud of our guys. Our defense made plays when they needed to. We’ve got to make more plays, obviously, on offense, but overall, gutsy win. I’m super proud of our guys.”

On the whole, Clifford completed 20 of 37 passes for 282 yards and four touchdowns in West Lafayette Saturday night to start the season. 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.”

The Nittany Lions will now gear up for a Week 2 matchup against Ohio.