Coming off its first loss of the season and a steep fall in the polls, No. 16 Penn State looks to bounce back against Minnesota in the annual White Out game.
Coach James Franklin discussed the upcoming matchup with the Golden Gophers during his Tuesday press conference. Here are the biggest takeaways from the conference:
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On the quarterbacks:
Franklin didn't comment on sixth-year quarterback Sean Clifford's availability for this weekend's game. Clifford exited the game against Michigan in the second half and did not return.
On potentially starting freshman Drew Allar over Clifford, Franklin said, "Clifford has earned his right to be on the field," and that benching Clifford for Allar would "be sending the wrong message." Franklin did reiterate that the staff would love to develop Allar on the field in the right situations.
On offensive identity:
Franklin said Penn State's offensive identity this season is "run and play-action pass, be efficient in the passing game." Franklin said the team hasn't been "explosive" in the passing game like in previous years.
On size in the trenches:
In his postgame press conference following the Michigan game, Franklin discussed how his defensive linemen lacked in size compared to the Wolverines offensive linemen.
Franklin expanded on these comments Tuesday. "Size is a tool and size is a weapon, no different than speed and quickness and power and agility." He added that his linemen could benefit by "adding on a few pounds."
On downfield passing game:
Franklin said the offense needs to do better on shot plays and hit them more often. He said the lack of big plays has been both in execution and in when/how often these play calls come in.
On guard Landon Tengwall
Franklin said the team is "hopeful" that Landon Tengwall will be able to return against Minnesota. The redshirt freshman was getting treatment Sunday and Monday for the injury.
Tengwall suffered the injury, which Franklin said was "not season-ending," during pregame warmups against Michigan and did not play on Saturday.
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