Printable Penn State football depth chart: Illinois
Penn State football will meet Illinois on Saturday night at Beaver Stadium to open Big Ten play. The Nitany Lions are off to a 3-0 start and are ranked No. 9 nationally while the Illini are 4-0 and ranked 19th.
The shape Penn State takes in the “White Out – dramatic pause – energy” game is one likely to be different from the program’s most recent outing. Enduring a series of bumps, bruises, and season-ending injuries through the first month of the campaign, the Nittany Lions were not spared last weekend when taking on Kent State, 56-0.
Most notably, an already thin group of linebackers felt the sting of an early absence. Potential changes and their impacts are detailed in our projected depth chart for Penn State’s game against Illinois.
Printable Penn State football depth chart: Illinois
A potential injury absence
Captain linebacker Dom DeLuca played just three snaps last weekend before exiting with an undisclosed injury. Asked about DeLuca after the game on Saturday, again on Monday, and once again on Wednesday evening, head coach James Franklin offered no insight into his potential availability for the game.
He was, however, absent from the field during Penn State’s 15-minute viewing window for reporters at practice, giving way to a likelihood that he will not be cleared to play against the Illini.
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Subtly acknowledging the necessity of rushed development within the position group, the veterans would be down to Kobe King, Tony Rojas, and Tyler Elsdon for Saturday night. And, should DeLuca be absent, Franklin pointed to three other players who have been trending positively and could help.
“DaKaari Nelson continues to get better. We’ll plan on using [Anthony] Speca his week if we’re in that situation. He would get green lighted for this game, not necessarily for the season at this point, but he was a guy who was able to play a little bit last week, and we’re preparing him this week to be ready to go as well,” said Franklin. “Ta’Mere Robinson is continuing to do some really good things. We think we’re in a better position, but obviously we’d love to have all of our guys out ready to go and healthy and having a chance to be productive. “
Offensive setback
Along with DeLuca’s situation, Penn State also plainly lost a depth piece at running back against the Golden Flashes. Appearing extensively late in the game, redshirt freshman Cam Wallace needed to be carried off the field by teammates to get to the sideline.
How Penn State handles his likely absence remains to be seen. Originally announcing an intent to play Quinton Martin and Corey Smith in four games each, effectively splitting the fourth spot on the depth chart while preserving their red shirts, the Nittany Lions will need to decide on how to divvy up reps should Wallace be absent for an extended amount of time.
