Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh addressed the media at his weekly press conference on Monday afternoon, and naturally, he talked about Penn State quite a bit.

The Wolverines’ fifth-year head coach was asked about redshirt sophomore quarterback Sean Clifford, who is 6-0 and has passed for 1,560 yards and 13 touchdowns through his first six games as the Nittany Lions’ first-string quarterback.

“He plays really good,” Harbaugh said. “I’ve been really impressed with his focus just getting a chance to watch him on TV a few times. I think he has a really intense focus that all the good ones have. He understands the game.”

Say what you want about his khakis or coaching, but Harbaugh definitely knows a thing or two about quarterback play. He played quarterback for Michigan from 1982-1986, before passing for more than 26,000 yards in 14 seasons as an NFL quarterback. The Chicago Bears selected Harbaugh in the first round (No. 26 overall) of the 1987 NFL Draft after he passed for 2,729 yards in his final season as a Michigan player. Additionally, he mentored now-retired, but one-time top draft pick Andrew Luck at Stanford before both left for the NFL.

Clifford’s sky-high level of competitiveness, which is something that the redshirt sophomore takes a lot of pride in, also caught Harbaugh’s attention.

“He’s highly competitive,” he added. “You can see it in his runs, his nature, and how he plays the game. He’s very talented. He’s got athletic ability, arm talent, and he also makes really good decisions. You can see the leadership and focus — all really positive.”

Michigan has posted a 5-1 record and a 3-1 mark in conference play so far this season. The Wolverines’ lone blemish was a 35-14 defeat on the road against No. 6 Wisconsin, but the final score of that contest isn’t totally indicative of how it played out. Harbaugh’s squad was completely overmatched against a tough, physical Wisconsin team that allowed Michigan to pull the scoreline back with a pair of touchdowns in garbage time.

The team’s performance in a 10-3 victory over No. 23 Iowa in the Big House wasn’t the most convincing, either, but the team bounced back (somewhat) to take down Illinois 42-25 last week. Penn State opened as a 7.5-point favorite to win Saturday’s White Out game, and Harbaugh knows that his team will have to ball out in order to pull off an upset.

“This week, we’re going to have to play our best — the best that we’re capable of,” he said. “Penn State is a heck of a good football team.”