Penn State coach James Franklin speaks after Rutgers win: Watch

Penn State head coach James Franklin met with reporters following the Nittany Lions’ 28-0 win over Rutgers.

The eighth-year leader of the program focused on a variety of topics, noting that over 30 players were missing Saturday due to the flu.

He also discussed the quarterback situation at Penn State. After a shaky start for senior quarterback Sean Clifford, who went 2 for 8 with 23 yards passing, he left the game with an injury, allowing No. 2 quarterback and true freshman Christian Veilleux to get his first real opportunity as a Nittany Lion.

After shaky start the first few drives, he led Penn State on a 10-play, 67-yard touchdown drive at the end of the second quarter. Veilleux followed that up with two more touchdown passes in the third quarter, including a 67-yard pass to another young player, wide receiver Malick Meiga.

The Penn State defense was also fantastic, holding Rutgers to just 165 yards of total offense. The Scarlett Knights averaged just 2.8 yards per play and had only 10 first downs. They were 4 for 15 on third down conversions. Jaquan Brisker, playing in his last game at Beaver Stadium, led the team with seven tackles. Linebacker Ellis Brooks had six, while Brandon Smith and Arnold Ebiketie have five each.

Penn State fans can watch Franklin’s complete press conference below. A transcript will be provided when available.

Opening Statement

So, like always I want to thank you guys for covering Penn State Football. Obviously, you know I’ve been doing this for 26 years, 12 years as a head coach, I’m very proud of this team. I’m very proud of that locker room. We faced as much adversity in this game as I’ve been around. We had 35 guys out for one reason or another. 21 guys because of the flu. 14 guys who had the flu and played through it. Thursday, it looked like a hospital ward in there. There was IVs everywhere. Friday was the same way – we didn’t have a scholarship quarterback at Friday’s practice. We weren’t sure what was going to happen. So, the way the guys stuck together, a bunch of guys that played and hadn’t played all year long in significant roles. I’m just really proud. I’m proud of special teams, they did a great job of controlling field position. The defense played lights out again, first time in program history we’ve held two Big Ten opponents to shutouts in the same season. A lot of good things, obviously a lot of things to correct as well. Hopefully we’ll get everybody back. We had a few more issues here after the game, hopefully we’ll get everybody back for next week because obviously we’re going to need it on the road against a great opponent. I want to thank the fans. I want to thank all the people that work the game. We had great attendance all year long, which is important for us as a program, but also important for the community and we recognize that.

Q:  Coach,so Christian Veilleux, [Ta’Quan] Roberson weeks back. You had to make this decision on who was going to be the backup. Fans are going to ask why wasn’t this kid your backup originally?

A: A couple things, they’re allowed to get better. You know, at that point, it was not obvious that he was going to be the backup quarterback. I also don’t know if going on the road at Iowa, number two in the country, in his first three possessions at the minus-one, the minus-two and a minus-one. Ta’Quan had been in the program longer and really, it’s pretty obvious to everybody, that he gave us the best chance at that stage to win. After the way Veilleux played today, I get the question. I understand it totally, but he’s just gotten better. You got to remember, he didn’t play football his senior year. His season got canceled because of COVID. So, he just keeps getting better and I was proud of him. He was very poised today, made some plays with his legs, made some big-time throws, made some checks. Obviously, it’s something to build on, but I get the question. He’s gotten better, that’s the difference and that’s the reason.

Q: What are some of the biggest areas growth and improvement over the course of the past few months that you’ve noticed from Veilleux?

A: Yeah, what I told you before was still true, there really wasn’t a gap. At one point, with Ta’Quan [Roberson], the guy had been in the program longer and done some good things. I hadn’t really seen him in significant times, obviously you don’t find out until they’re in there. As time went on, the gap wasn’t widening. So, it felt like the amount of time he’s had in the program it should be wider and [Christian] Veilleux just kind of continued to get better. He’s gotten a better understanding of the game plan and the plays. He’s starting to know it inside and out. I thought the live rep work that we were able to get with Ta’Quan and Veilleux all season on Sunday’s is live but without the quarterbacks. I thought that helped and did some really good things, but it also allowed us to compare those two guys in everything but the quarterback being live. I think this continued to grow his confidence and our confidence in him. I, again, think there’s a big difference between being home in this environment against this opponent compared to that one. I got a ton of respect for Ta’Quan Roberson. He’s done all the things right since he’s been here, and two very different situations that we’re talking about as well. Got a ton of respect for Ta’Quan.

Q: Sean [Clifford] pregame. When did you know that he was going to be able to go because I didn’t see him warming up and then afterward, what’s his status moving forward?

A: What happened was we had a wave of this illness and then come Friday morning, the second wave hit us and that’s when we didn’t have a quarterback. All of the quarterbacks were there earlier in the week and then all of a sudden, they all got knocked out. After Sean got the first round of IV’s we felt like he could go. That was Friday night. Then woke up, we’re all waiting. Everyone’s at breakfast, we told him to sleep in. He got another round of IV’s and felt like he could go so he wasn’t out at warmup because he was getting IV’s. I’m hopeful that this thing will run through its course on the team, and we’ll have everyone back for next week which we’re going to need to and go from there. 

Q: Your comment to the quarterback club assuring that you’re not going anywhere. Do you plan to disclose that to everybody else?

A: I’d like to right now talk about Rutgers. I get it. I’d like to talk about Rutgers. I made that statement because I thought something was going to happen a little bit sooner. Tuesday we can talk about that as much as you guys want to talk about that. I’d like to talk about Rutgers. I get it and I understand the questions. I’ve tried to tell you guys before, these things are much more complicated than just a simple yes- and no-answers and with me, I just am always trying to be as transparent as possible and tell you guys what I know and when I say something, it’s going to happen. If we could wait until Tuesday, I’d appreciate it, but I also understand the question.

Q: It seemed like the offensive line was a particular sort of center of this illness. So you had to play some guys who have no played before at al, and also different combinations, different positions, with the communication that has to happen within that group… how do you feel that that went?

A: “I thought once they settled down pretty good, we had Caeden in the beginning of the game. He was like Sean, we weren’t sure if he was gonna go. He tried to go and then wasn’t able and now you’re playing a true freshman and Landon Tengwall out there. You got Effner playing a bunch with a lot of moving parts. But I thought they battled in there. Greg’s a really good defensive coach. They do a great job on the defensive side of the ball. They were pressuring us and going cover zero. I thought our guys battled and I thought Veilleux did a good job of escaping the pocket a few times and a couple times hanging in there and delivering a tough throw, the touchdown throw that we ran on the wheel was big-time. It was a big-time play with people in the space. It’d be great film to watch and be great to learn from. Hopefully we’ll have a few of those guys back. Because we are going to need them next week like I mentioned before.”

Q: Was Curtis Jacobs part of the guys who had the virus or was it something else. And secondly, your defense, how important was it for them to pitch the shutout and where do you think they’re playing right now.

A: “Our defense is playing unbelievable. We had great field position that we weren’t able to take advantage of early in the game. Through special teams and playing great defense. Curtis was one of these guys that literally at breakfast, Elsdon starts to throw up and Curtis starts to throw up. They hadn’t had it. So it was like the defense got hit with it early in the week and then they were able to get through it and then the offense got hit late in the week then a few defensive guys. I’m telling you guys between throw up and IV it was an interesting week. Literally I’ve never been through something like this especially at this point in the season when you’re already banged up. So just ton of respect for our guys and how they handled it. They never flinched and never panicked. Our defense has been playing great all year long. I’m really proud of the guys. You know, there’s not a whole lot more to say than that. But that’s as much adversity as I’ve seen a program withstand in one week.”

Q: But in general, when did Christian know he was not going to be the starter and how do you think he handled today

A: “To be honest with you? We didn’t know that Christian was, we weren’t sure if Christian was gonna go last night. It was gonna be Mason Stahl. Mason Stahl took all the reps, and then Friday morning, I’m like sitting in the hallway and as they come down, and they’re all going over to get temperatures to see if they can get cleared and it’s like ‘Veilleux’s cleared, then he goes in to have breakfast. And then Sean, they just let stay up there. So I mean, literally, it was that, it was like up to the hour so we were gaining guys and we were losing guys that became sick. So that the board is not very accurate. We’re just adjusting on the fly as we could. Andy Mutnan and the trainers, and the doctors did a phenomenal job. But like we have a GroupMe that goes out of staff group me and it was buzzing and you’re just hoping for positive news.”

Q: So you knew Sean was your starter when?

A: “I guess what happened was he didn’t come out. And the lady from TV asked me and I go ‘I don’t know’ she says,  ‘You really don’t know?”. I go, ‘no I gotta ask the doctors and trainers where he’s at because he never came out for warm up.’ And then he felt like he could go the doctors and trainers felt like he could go. Obviously, he missed practice time. He hadn’t eaten, the IVs, the whole deal. Again, we felt like he gave us the best opportunity based on experience and not having a whole lot available behind him. And then obviously Veilleux was able to go, and Sean wasn’t able to go anymore. He came to the sideline after the third series or whatever it was. I said ‘Sean, I’m gonna go with Veilleux. He goes, ‘Yeah, I get it.'”

Q: You mentioned, Veilluix improved a lot over the last month. Where specifically did you see him improve and where did you need to see him improve to take that leap.

A: “His grasp and understanding of the playbook and knowing it inside and out. Him being able to adjust protections. You know, when you see a young quarterback in there, what are you gonna do? Light him up with blitzes and pressures. So adjusting the protection. It’s not just knowing the plays, you have to know your plays so well that you can focus on the defense. Then obviously he’s been able to get more reps. We’ve transitioned him into the into number two and he’s gotten more reps. So kind of a combination of all those things, him building confidence in himself and building confidence in us. I also mentioned the Sunday scrimmages that have been live for Ta’Quon and Veilleux to be able to evaluate those two guys. We don’t have preseason. So sometimes it’s challenging to be able to do that, but I get the question. Trust me.”