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Penn State is hoping to have Keyvone Lee fully available for Saturday's game at Indiana

Greg Pickelby:Greg Pickel•11/01/22•

GregPickel

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Penn State running back Keyvone Lee (24) appears to do the Heisman Trophy pose while avoiding Michigan defensive back Rod Moore (19) during the Michigan Wolverines versus Penn State Nittany Lions game on November 13, 2021 at Beaver Stadium in University Park, PA. (Photo by Randy Litzinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Penn State running back Keyvone Lee has not been a big part of the game plan in recent weeks. Most assumed that was because Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen had simply surpassed him on the depth chart and snap count sheet. But, that isn’t necessarily the case, head coach James Franklin revealed on Tuesday.

“Keyvone has either been out or limited for five weeks,” Franklin said. “So we are hopeful to have him back. When we have him back, we feel like we got three really good backs that now, at this point in the season, are experienced and can make plays in both the pass and run game.”

Lee did not play in the fourth, sixth, or eighth game of the year. In week five, he played 21 snaps against Northwestern. But, in Week 7, he was only on the field for four plays at Michigan.

With Lee out, Singleton and Allen have continued to perform well. The latter started last week in the loss to Ohio State.

“Those two young kids have really complemented each other well,” Franklin said. “Kaytron has the ability to set up blocks. He’s got tremendous vision. And, he’s got the ability to finish runs with power. He’s just a very well-rounded running back. H’s got a very high football IQ.”

Penn State will rotate its backs again if Lee returns

Franklin said that Lee will be a part of the rotation at Indiana if he is available.

“You want to rotate those guys as much as you can to keep them healthy,” Franklin said. “We’ve been fortunate this year to, pretty much every week, have at least two backs that we feel really good about. So it’ll be nice, hopefully, if we’re in a situation when we have Keyvone back this week.”

Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET between the Lions and Hoosiers. ABC will televise the matchup. Penn State has dominated this series and is a 13.5-point favorite. Tom Allen’s team has lost five in a row and sits at 3-5 on the season.

“Obviously have gotten to know Tom [Allen] really well since he’s joined the league, and got a ton of respect for Tom,” Franklin said. “Good man. good person, good coach.

“On the road, it will be a challenging situation. Got to get our guys ready. Got to practice well today, and go find a way to be 1-0 this week.”

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