Read everything Penn State coach James Franklin said following the Lions' Rose Bowl win over Utah

PASADENA, Calif. — Penn State coach James Franklin was in a jovial mood Monday night following his team’s 35-21 win over Utah in the Rose Bowl. The leader of the Lions picked up a signature win and capped the 2022 season with 11 victories.

“We had a phenomenal experience at the Rose Bowl,” Franklins sad in his opening statement. I want to thank the Rose Bowl, just the entire — from the time we stepped off the plane, not even talking about the game, we were just treated first class. We’re very, very appreciative of that. I’m just proud of these guys. I was here in 2016, one of the better Rose Bowl games, and watched somebody else celebrate, and I wanted this for them. I couldn’t have wrote the script any better for Sean Clifford to be the offensive MVP, and my man [Ji’Ayir] Tig [Brown] to be the defensive MVP. It’s awesome, sending these guys out the right way, in a time in college football that I think it’s more challenging than ever.

Just really proud of our guys. Offense, defense and special teams really played a really good, complete game. I thought Kalen King’s interception really got us going and got us started. And then we were able to get pressure on their quarterback, which we weren’t able to do early in the game and that started changing some things for us. Obviously the big run by Nick Singleton, Barney Amor punted well all night long, because it was a position game, playing Coach Whittingham, is a defensive head coach. And you talk about drive-start battle, they were really winning that.

Watch instant reaction from Pasadena after the win here.

“Our guys just stuck together, made some big plays when we needed to, and we found a way to get a win against a really, really good Utah team.”

“I do want to take a moment and just make sure that we show enough respect and appreciation for the University of Utah. I’ve got so much respect for the university as a whole, for Coach Whittingham and what he’s done across his entire career. Watching them on tape, for people that know and love football, that’s a really good football team. Just a credit to them and a credit to these guys that are up here.”

Here’s what else Franklin had to say.

Q: To start off the game, there was a little bit of a conservative approach in the passing game in the first two drives, then Sean really started to light things up. Coach, can you walk us through what you saw in the game in the air, especially the big plays, and Sean, can you take us through how you felt in your progressions as you got more comfortable in this game?

James Franklin: “Yeah, I wouldn’t necessarily describe it the way you did. They’re two really good defenses. We have a great defense led by Tig, who I think is the best safety in college. I don’t think there’s enough people talking about this guy. But two really good defenses, two really good defensive coordinators, we weren’t able to sustain drives. I think we would have opened some things up. We were trying to get a first down and we weren’t able to do that early in the game.

“They were playing extremely aggressive with what we call cover-zero with no safeties and bringing pressure, and once Sean and Coach Yurcich were able to kind of get a feel for what they were doing and how they were doing it, then we were able to mix some things in both run and pass.

“I thought Sean’s scramble early in the game where he hit KeAndre on the sideline was a huge play in the game for us, as well. But I think it’s just two really good defensive football teams, and then our offense was able to kind of settle down and get going after that.”

Q: Coach, this could be the final Rose Bowl pitting the Big Ten against the Pac-12. With that in mind, how much does it mean to win this one given the change that could be on the horizon?

JF: “Yeah, and not only that, I also understand that it’s the 100th anniversary of Penn State playing in this in 1923, as well. So much tradition and history with this bowl and then obviously specific to Penn State, and then playing Utah, there’s not too many things in 2023 where you can say it’s never happened before. Penn State had never played Utah before. A lot of really cool things. But most importantly, I’m so proud of these guys and how they handled themselves.

“I’m talking about it all, the feedback from the Rose Bowl staff about our players and how they conducted themselves, from LA Live, the JW Marriott, they were phenomenal with us, and the feedback I got about our players, that’s very important to us at Penn State, not just winning on the football field but doing it in the classroom and in the community, as well, and these two guys are great examples of that.”

Q: Coach Franklin, the big run by Nicholas and the big catch by KeAndre, how did it change the dynamics of the game?

JF: “Yeah, you know, when you’re playing a defense like that where it’s hard to get yards, you’re going to have a difficult time going on a 16-play, 80-yard drive against that defense. You’re going to have to create some explosive plays.

“It’s interesting they were in cover zero, and we actually did a fake check where we were looking to the sideline and then snapped the ball. We did something similar with Saquon Barkley in the Fiesta Bowl a few years ago. Caught them in cover zero. And they were in a bear front, which I wouldn’t say is the ideal front to run that play into, but once you crease them with Nick’s speed, you’re able to obviously make a huge play and swing the momentum in the game.

“Then KeAndre [Lambert-Smith], as well. I think KeAndre is a great story. I think all these players, they come to Penn State and they kind of have in their mind this vision of how it’s going to go, and it very rarely goes that way. And KeAndre has just trusted the process and persevered. He’s extremely talented.

“I just think he has such a bright future. To see him have such a big night is great because there’s so many lessons that are being taught through the game of football, and I’m really proud of KeAndre and how far he’s growth, both personally and professionally. Those were two big plays in the game and two guys that I think all of us — we expect those guys to make those types of plays.”

Q: On Ji’Ayir Brown saying he wanted to win a game that made Penn State coach James Franklin smile this season

JF: “It made me smile, but I also want to say this. In today’s college football where these players are being pulled in a thousand different directions, both Penn State and Utah, we had very few opt-outs in the game. We had great leadership. Tig wanted to stay in the game. I pulled him out, made him come out of the game, him and PJ Mustipher. I wanted Sean to have that opportunity. He kind of hit me on the sideline, we kind of got in an argument, he didn’t want to come out of the game, but I wanted to take a moment for him to come out of the game and be recognized because Sean is experienced it all at Penn State, he really has.

“There’s so many good things about this game, but there’s so many good young men like Tig and Sean and PJ, I can go on and on and on, at a time that it is more challenging than it’s ever been. I couldn’t be more proud of these guys, how they conducted themselves, not just in this game but really throughout their entire careers, and they’ve got great stories. They’ve got great stories. I look forward to continuing to be a part of their life and watching them go on and do great things.”

Q: Coach Franklin, I don’t want to catch you off guard. I want to ask you, are you aware of a situation through texting tonight within the NFL game or not at all?

JF: “You’re talking about with Damar? Yeah, Kris Peterson kind of told me after the game, and I got Terry Smith, and me and Terry recruited Damar. Obviously our thoughts and prayers. It’s very personal. He’s from Pittsburgh, from Pennsylvania. Terry Smith and myself recruited him, got to know his whole family, unbelievable family, and obviously we’re sending our thoughts and prayers to him and the family and hoping and praying that everything is okay.”