Printable Penn State football depth chart: Rutgers week
After dropping a second highly anticipated game this season, Penn State returns to action on Saturday afternoon when it hosts Rutgers (noon, FS1). The question of whether or not the Nittany Lions can bounce back against a Scarlet Knights program fighting to close out its season on a high note remains to be seen, though.
What isn’t up in the air for Penn State is its injury status at receiver this week.
In an uncharacteristic bout of forthcomingness regarding an injury on Wednesday evening, head coach James Franklin was asked about the status of receiver Harrison Trey Wallace heading into games on Saturday and next Friday to close the regular season. Franklin said flatly that Wallace won’t be dressing or participating for the Nittany Lions again this week.
“Yeah, we won’t see him this week,” Franklin said. “But I’m not sure after that.”
On the defensive side of the ball, three other absences from the Nittany Lions’ loss to Michigan remain in play for this weekend’s tilt. Their availability an unknown, the likes of Amin Vanover, Elliott Washington, and Jameial Lyons were all out against the Wolverines.
However, Vanover warmed up in each of the past two games at Maryland and against the Wolverines. Washington was dressed and warmed up, as well. Lyons, despite not warming up on Saturday, was back at practice and participating on Wednesday this week.
Penn State coaching decisions
The depth chart isn’t the only piece of the Nittany Lions’ operation experiencing changes this week. Rather, with an offensive coordinator change made on Sunday, Penn State has shifted some of its responsibilities throughout the staff for this Saturday’s game.
Recognizing the input of graduate assistant Danny O’Brien, who has spent the week working with the quarterbacks, Franklin pointed out the structure the Nittany Lions are going to take with Ty Howle and Ja’Juan Seider assuming co-coordinator responsibilities.
“Danny has been very involved,” Franklin said this week. “The upstairs and sideline will stay the same. Ty will be upstairs, Ja’Juan on the sideline. That won’t change.”
What has changed, Franklin intimated, is the approach the staff has taken to planning for the game.
“I think it’s been I think it’s been more collaborative,” Franklin said of Penn State’s approach. “There’s a lot of different ways to do it. Some people break up into separate rooms, so you don’t get groupthink. You get different ideas. There’s a lot of ways to do it. A lot of people do it different ways. We’ve done it different obviously since the change, and I do think it’s been it’s been really collaborative and been really good discussions and healthy dialogue, and healthy confrontations, about different ideas and subjects. I think it’s been good.”
