Read what Penn State coach James Franklin said following Lions' win over Auburn

Auburn, Ala. — Penn State coach James Franklin was all smiles as he congratulated players and staff members in the bowels of Jordan-Hare Stadium following his team’s 41-12 win over Auburn. The celebration briefly paused, however, for a chat with reporters outside of the team’s locker room. Per the usual, Franklin started with an opening statement.

“Talking about the stats that we talk about all the time, we won the field position battle,” Franklin said. “The story of the game, obviously, was the turnover battle — four turnovers to zero. We gotta get more points off of those turnovers. But, obviously, that had a huge factor in the game when you talk about time of possession and field position. We did not win the penalty battle. And then the explosive plays battle, although our offense reached their goal, we gave up too many on defense, specifically on third and long.

“Overall, there hasn’t been too many Big Ten teams in the history of the Big Ten to come on the road and get a win in the SEC. So we’re very, very proud of that. I also think we’ve had a very challenging schedule to open the season. On the road in Big Ten play, then a home game, and then on the road again. [Auburn] has five home games to start the season. So I’m proud of our guys. We’ll enjoy this win for a couple hours and then get back to work tomorrow.”

You can read the rest of what Franklin had to say below.

Q: James, can you assess the play of your [Penn State] offensive line?

James Franklin: “We’re getting better up front and at tight end. I think we’re doing some things scheme-wise to help them. I think also, the ability to be more balanced, and take pressure off of the passing game, I think it’s been really important for us.

We also have some dynamic backs that help create some explosive plays, whether that is Keyvone [Lee], or Kaytron [Allen], or Nick [Singleton]; loved to see Devyn Ford get in there. Devyn Ford is one of my favorites. I shouldn’t have favorites. But the way he’s handled his entire Penn State career, he’s one of our MVPs. He is doing it on special teams right now, he’s got a nice role on offense. Really proud of him.

Q: How did Penn State stop Auburn’s rushing attack?

JF: “We emphasized it all week long. We were able to make them one-dimensional, to a degree. Now obviously, there are some things that we got to get cleaned up in the passing game. But, overall, that was the plan. We wanted the quarterback put in a position to have to beat us, and I think we did that.

“They got two guys that are challenging. The [starting quarterback [TJ Finley] is 6-7, 250 pounds, he’s hard to bring down. We got a bunch of sacks today. We could have had more but he’s hard to bring down. And then the other guy [Robby Ashford] is as dynamic as it gets. So the game really played out the way we hoped that it would have played out, offensively, defensively and on special teams — really all three phases.”

Q: What did you think about the pressure the Adisa Isaac, Chop Robinson, and the defensive line got today?

JF: “That’s been good. We’ve been talking about sacks, and you guys don’t want to hear that the ball is coming out on time, and, ‘why don’t we have more snacks and more pressures?’ It was good to get them today. It was good to get the turnovers today. We were more disruptive. I thought one of the drives that was concerning for me was when we started out with a tackle for loss, [then] lined up in the neutral zone, and let them off the hook. So we’ve gotta clean some things up, up front. But I do think those two guys — Adisa and Chop — were able to be really disruptive. A number of guys were.

“I thought we did a good job with our third-down package in terms of pressuring, but with mobile quarterbacks we can’t rush passed the quarterback and leave wide open lanes. So there are things to improve on that we gotta clean up. But, overall, pretty good.”

Q: What allowed your defense to finish plays and get turnovers this week?

JF: “I think it’s our guys getting more and more comfortable and confident with the tweaks in the scheme. I think we were able to get more pressure. We would’ve had this many turnovers in the first couple of games, but we dropped them. We made some tough, big-time interceptions today, where in weeks past we’ve dropped a few of those.

“So I’m not necessarily sure what the difference was. We’ll talk about it, but we got to build on that. That’s obviously what we prefer.”

Q: What do Nick and Kaytron bring to the offense, and have you ever seen two freshmen have this much of an impact three games into their careers?

JF: “No, I have not seen two guys have this type of success [this early] in their career. We were pretty excited signing them. We were pretty excited once they got on campus, because recruiting is wonderful, but you never truly know until they show up on campus. And, they kept kind of making plays and doing things.They have kind of a complementary style. But, they both have the ability to make plays.

“I think Kaytron has got really good vision, and takes a four-yard run to a 12- or 16-yard run on a consistent basis. And then, as we know, Nick has the ability to go 80 [yards]. So they’re doing well. I think Ja’Juan Seider has done a great job of getting them ready from a mental perspective as well, protections, [and] all that stuff. Been pretty impressed.”

Q: Assess how Sean Clifford plays, and were there more planned runs for him?

JF: “No more planned runs for him. But I thought he played really well. It’s going to be a lot of things that he does that doesn’t show up on the stat sheet, from a protection standpoint, from a run game perspective, re-ID’ing the front, bringing the receiver in to block the extra man.

“He’s just playing really well right now and doing all the things that we need him to do. He’s got room for growth as well, but I’m very happy with him and I’m very pleased with him. But, we really didn’t have more designed runs this week.”

Q: Penn State had a bunch of stops in the redzone. What made you guys so successful there?

JF: “We didn’t feel like we had started out the year playing red zone defense the way we think we could. We continued to work on it. We’ll work on it again this week. Making [Auburn] one-dimensional I think help. Obviously, you’re always at your best in the red zone if you’re able to run the ball. And, we were able to limit their impact in the running game. And then our guys are just getting more confident and comfortable with the red zone coverages that we’re playing, some of the nuances of it, if that makes sense.

“I’m proud of our guys. To hold that team, again on the road in the SEC, without an offensive touchdown for the majority of the game is significant. They’ve got some good athletes.”

Q: What were your first thoughts after Sean Clifford was hit hard in the first quarter?

JF: “To be honest, I leave that to our medical people. I watch him as well, and his teammates do, but he popped right up. He’s taken some big licks in his career. He’s a tough kid. He’s been through a lot, both physically and mentally. I’m proud of him. I’m just really proud of Sean Clifford right now.

“And, I’m proud of our team to come down here and get this type of win. A gutsy performance. A lot of things, again, that won’t show up in the stat sheet. But, he’s a tough guy. That was a big hit. That was a physical game. I’m not sure where you guys were sitting, but down there on the field, it was a fast, physical game.”

Q: How do you assess Abdul Carter’s play and the experience of the 19 true freshmen who traveled?

JF: “A great experience for these young freshmen to come here in the SEC, get a feel for this environment, what it means. Abdul, as you guys know in the little that you’ve seen him, he flashes. I know you guys have all seen it. We’ve been excited about him. He’s so mature, picking things up quickly. He’s fast. He’s aggressive.

“There’s something about that No. 11. I’m not sure, but it’s had a lot of success here at Penn State. And I’m glad for the lettermen that wore it before that he’s representing it the right way. But, if he didn’t have the game where he got sent to the sideline, you would’ve saw more of that. Hopefully we’ll continue to build on this with him.”

Q: Would you like to see these kind of home-and-home series continue for Penn State?

JF: “No. No. There’s a reason that this is like one of the only games that’s been scheduled in the history of the Big Ten. All the data, all the analytics, show you that you have do whatever you can to win your conference. This is going to help us. We’re going to build on it. It’s a great experience for us moving forward but also the freshmen. So hopefully any of the freshmen, through their hopefully six years at Penn State with COVID years, that we don’t have to play in one of these games again.”