UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State football is set to return for its 138th season and will open the 2024 campaign against West Virginia for the second consecutive year on Saturday in Morgantown for Big Noon Kickoff on FOX.
The Nittany Lions finished 2023 with a 10-3 record and garnered their third double-digit win season in the last five years. Penn State has won 19 of the last 22 season openers and will play its border state foe for the 61st time in the two programs illustrious histories.
Penn State toppled the Mountaineers 38-15 in front of the sixth largest crowd in Beaver Stadium history on Sept. 2, 2023 as junior quarterback Drew Allar shined with 325 passing yards and three touchdowns in his first start. Head coach James Franklin met with the media on Monday ahead of the contest.
Prepping for the Environment
West Virginia finished the 2023 season at 9-4 and closed with five wins in the last six games including a convincing victory over North Carolina in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.
The Mountaineers boast a daunting road environment with its own rich tradition. Franklin acknowledged the difficulties of starting a year in a place like Milan Puskar Stadium and said, “it's magnified in a place that does not have an NFL team. Everything in that state revolves around West Virginia and Mountaineer football.”
The 11-year head coach also discussed how they’re able to replicate the opposing noise in practice to prepare for the crowd and said, “it's one thing to do it at home in front of 100,000, which is challenging. It's another thing to do it on the road with 70,000 people that kind of hate you. It’s your 250 versus their 70,000.”
Franklin also referenced associate head coach/defensive recruiting coordinator/cornerbacks coach Terry Smith who was a wideout with the Nittany Lions in 1988 which is the last time Penn State has lost on the road in Morgantown. Franklin shared how Smith’s experience playing on the road against West Virginia is valuable for the players and the coaching staff.
“You also look at when was the last time West Virginia beat Penn State and when the last time Penn State beat West Virginia and we got somebody on our staff that was there in their stadium the last time West Virginia won at their place,” Franklin said. “There is value in that; we got to tap into that, what that experience is like and how it happened.”
Liam Clifford’s consistency and confidence
This fall marks the eighth straight season a Clifford will don the blue and white as redshirt junior wide receiver Liam Clifford is paving his own path after his brother Sean Clifford became the all-time passing yards leader at Penn State.
Liam set a career-high in receiving yards in 2023 and is poised to increase his role as a pass catcher in Andy Kotelnicki’s first year as the offensive coordinator. “I think maturity in college football has a chance to win you games probably in a similar way that it's impacted college basketball when you can have an older veteran team or older veteran position,” Franklin said. “I think a lot of those things show up with Liam.”
Franklin recognized how Liam has grown from a comfortability and consistency standpoint which has allowed the Maineville, Ohio, native to play with more confidence as he heads into his fourth season in Happy Valley.
“I look at his college career in a lot of ways like his high school career,” Franklin said. “He just kept getting better every single year. Really had a dominant senior year, had a really good junior year and I think his college career is going about the same way. He's faster than I think people give him credit for; got a big catch radius. I think he's got a chance to be a playmaker for us this year. He's shown flashes of that in the past.”
Julian Fleming bringing veteran presence to WR room
Senior wide receiver Julian Fleming is back in Pennsylvania with the Nittany Lions after playing at Southern Columbia Area High School where he earned the honor of top receiver in the state.
Fleming has amassed 963 receiving yards with seven touchdowns during his collegiate career and brings an enhanced awareness of the physical toll a Big Ten season brings.
Franklin shared how Fleming has brought strong veteran leadership to a talented wide receiver room and said the wideout can impact the game in a multitude of facets with his versatility as a route runner and run blocker.
“He has a tremendous football IQ,” Franklin said. “He is a big, strong, physical, tough guy who we think is going to make the tough catches for us. Has been throughout his career, a very physical blocker. A very good special teams player, he's one of the guys as a veteran older player, he’s very intentional about what he has to do to be successful in how he practices and approached his offseason on the jugs machine and all those things.”