James Franklin praises Cam Rising's toughness

James Franklin has one tough quarterback in Sean Clifford, but the Penn State leader made sure to point out the moxie of Utah quarterback Cam Rising ahead of their Rose Bowl showdown.

It’s obvious Rising has caught the eye of Franklin, and the latter shared his thoughts on the Utes quarterback with the media ahead of the game.

“I was at Disneyland with him the other day with him. The first thing, I have hair envy. He’s got that beautiful hair, which I have none of. But back to that toughness. I think the play that I think about that really stands out, I think it was USC where his helmet gets knocked off, and that was a legitimate shot, and he popped right up, no hesitation,” stated Franklin. “When your quarterback has that type of toughness, it resonates through the entire program.

“I’m a big believer, I think a lot of people that aren’t die-hard football people – you get this – but your quarterback really better be your toughest player on your field, and it may not be the pounding every single play, but when you’ve got to stand in the pocket and there’s a free blitzer coming and you know he’s coming and you’ve got to stand there in a defenseless position and deliver the ball, that takes a mental and physical toughness that very few people have and very few positions really have to display it in that way.”

Continuing, Franklin couldn’t say enough about how much he respects Rising, and made sure to heap some praise on Utah offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig, as well.

“I’ve got a ton of respect for him,” added Franklin. “Obviously always look at touchdown-to-interception ratio. He’s great there.

“I’ve known Andy Ludwig for a long time. He does a great job. He actually came and visited when I was offensive coordinator at Maryland, we spent some time together, and I know he runs a pro-style system. He puts a lot on the quarterback, so I’ve just got a ton of respect for how he plays the game.”

Moreover, Rising has been the backbone of the Utes, passing for 2,939 yards and 25 touchdowns, adding 409 yards and six touchdowns rushing to his totals, as well. Without him, it’s hard to say Utah would’ve made it this far.

Regardless, James Franklin and Penn State will do all they can to make his life difficult on Monday. It’ll be a fascinating game, and the difference in the game could be the play of Cam Rising versus Nittany Lions quarterback Sean Clifford.