Will Penn State have Coziah Izzard or Hunter Nourzad available opposite Northwestern this week?
A Penn State football defensive lineman could make his season debut on Saturday against Northwestern. But, it’s far from a guarantee.
Head coach James Franklin was asked after practice on Wednesday about whether or not Coziah Izzard would return this week. He has yet to play in a game this season for undisclosed reasons but has been with the team and practicing after making 21 tackles (three for loss) and recording two sacks in 2021.
“We’ll see how this plays out this week, but that’s possible,” Franklin said.
Two Penn State linemen who were expected to be contributors this year have not yet participated on game day. Besides Izzard, end Smith Vilbert has been sidelined, too, for undisclosed reasons.
“Just not available,” Franklin said Tuesday when asked about Vilbert. “I’d like to sit down with Smith and make sure that me and him are on the same page. Again, we talk all the time about whatever it may be, whether it’s injuries or whatever it may be: I don’t like to make announcements here publicly before we have spoken so we’re all on the same page.
“I got a ton of respect for all the players in our program, and I want to be respectful of their situations, whether it’s personal, whether it’s professional, whether it’s academic, whatever it may be. I want to be respectful of those things. And you know, I’m really proud that Smith Vilbert’s a part of our program. I’ll leave it at that for right now.”
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Latest on Penn State lineman Hunter Nourzad
Franklin said Tuesday that Penn State guard Hunter Nourzad, who missed last weekend’s win over Central Michigan, was dealing with bumps and bruises. The hope was that keeping him out last week would allow him to return this week. What is the latest as of Wednesday night?
“We’re hoping to have him back,” Franklin said. “That’s what we would like, is to have him available this week. He’s a lot closer than obviously he was last week. But, there’s also things that happen in practice that sometimes make those things difficult as well. You get rolled up on in practice or whatever it is.
“So, we still got another physical practice on [Thursday]. We’ll see how he’s doing and how he’s trending.”
Penn State-Northwestern is set for 3:30 p.m. on Saturday at Beaver Stadium. ESPN will televise the contest. The Lions are a 26.5-point betting favorite as of Wednesday night. The Wildcats enter the matchup at 1-3.
