Live Updates: James Franklin postgame press conference

Penn State head coach James Franklin is addressing the media following his Nittany Lions’ 45-17 win over Minnesota.

Follow our live updates from Franklin’s postgame press conference, here:

(Updates presented in reverse chronological order.)

James Franklin postgame press conference updates

Press conference has ended at 11:54 p.m.

Making them one-dimensional:

It was big. Trying to get up where they throw the ball more than they wanted, that’s not how they’re built or wired. But overall, pleased with how they played. Third quarter was about explosive plays that led to points and touchdowns.

Tight ends/Theo Johnson

He played well. Happy for him. But in general, there will be weeks based on game planning and matchups, may emphasize certain guy. But it’s just how the defense plays out and where the ball goes. It was a little bit of an emphasis, but it was mostly just how it played out. Sean went where the defense told him to go. Sometimes that’s wideouts, tight ends, running backs.

But when Parker Washington and tight ends touch the ball a bunch, they’re at their best. A lot of guys they want to get involved and that’s when they’re difficult to defend. Even the reverse they ran, it gives defense hesitation. They don’t fit runs the same way when they’re off balance.

Sean Clifford being available:

He was pretty sore after practice on Tuesday but did the full practice. Sean did a great job. Once they knew there was nothing structurally wrong and it was just pain management, he felt good about it, so did trainers and doctors, and so did them.

But, they had a day there where other quarterbacks got all the reps. And there’s value in that too.

On building for the future with a win like tonight:

It helps from a bunch of different perspectives. Haven’t seen what happened in college football with other scores, but this was a good win against a good opponent, at home, and with recruits in the crowd that will make a big impact on their future.

Abdul Carter

Was more about playing big base. Curtis Jacobs had 14 tackles tonight, which is super productive. Knew they were playing a running team. Wanted three true linebackers, box linebackers on the field to make it difficult. A ton of respect for that running back. Not many teams playing with three true linebackers on the field, but for this team, against this opponent, it made sense.

Success against a running team

Consistently did job tonight. How they’re built defensively is owning your gap. Can’t peek into someone else’s gap. Were really consistent doing that tonight. And, gameplan was that the DBs are strong, so leave them on an island, have the numbers in run game and hopefully make them make contested catches in the secondary. They got a score with most backups in. There is a standard to meet for those backups, but overall, pretty good.

Nick and Kaytron

Impressed with those guys all year long. They’ve played at a high level. Stuck with the run. A lot of diversity in play calling tonight. Getting tight ends, receivers, and running backs involved. Bigtime run for Kaytron early. And a couple of big ones for Nick.

Also, protecting well. That’s OL and RBs doing a good job. Sean getting rid of some balls. Sean throwing deep ball to Parker Washington was one of the better throws he’s made under duress.

Sean Clifford performance

Says he has no reaction to fans booing. 

He’s proud of Sean. He’s resilient. Tough. And he played really well. There’s a lot of programs that would be super excited about him being the quarterback and what he did tonight against one of the better defense in the country.

Proud of Sean. Proud of whole QB room. Proud to get Drew experience tonight.

But, is a supporter of Sean Clifford.

Opening statement

Thanks the fans. One of the most special environments in all of sports. Had a huge impact tonight. To put that Minnesota off schedule due to false start penalties, he credits Penn State fans for that.

Overall, played complementary football. Offense, defense, special teams. Made kicks. Pinned them deep. Kickoff return wasn’t a factor. 

Biggest thing that stood out was third down. Got off the field on defense. And stayed on the field on offense. Minnesota led the country in third down conversions at 66 percent. And held them to 15.4 percent, 2 of 13. 

Minnesota defense was No. 1 at 21 percent, and Penn State hit 45 percent tonight. That was the story of the game.

Started slow on offense. But beside big play given up by defense late in the first half, played really well.