Projected Penn State printable depth chart: Indiana week
Penn State football no longer provides an official depth chart. So, Blue-White Illustrated has taken up the task of projecting one each week, presented here as a printable file.
And this week, it’s likely to come in handy for NIttany Lions’ fans.
Coming out of a second loss of the season last weekend to No. 2 Ohio State, the Nittany Lions’ depth is expected to come into play as the program gets set to face Indiana on Saturday afternoon (3:30 p.m., ABC). According to head coach James Franklin, though, much of that depth has been prepared by other frequent opportunities to play earlier this season.
“We’ve played a lot of guys this year, which I think is helpful. But, we’re also at that time of year where everybody’s got bumps and bruises, so it magnifies it,” Franklin said on his Thursday night radio show. “Your depth better be ready to be able to handle whatever may pop up in a game, or whatever may pop up in practice. Those things are really important.
“I think our approach early in the season, especially the first three or four games, and playing so many guys, I think it’s paid us dividends as the season went on.”
Injury concerns for Indiana week
On the offensive line, that’s particularly true for the Nittany Lions this week.
Coming out of a game in which starters Landon Tengwall and Caedan Wallace didn’t play, injuries mounted against the Buckeyes in the trenches. Added to the list of woes were bumps and bruises to starting left tackle Olu Fashanu, who left the Beaver Stadium turf hobbling late in the game. And, while starting guard Sal Wormley appeared much more than he did against Minnesota, he also appears to be nursing an injury.
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While Franklin doesn’t address injury specifics, the reality for Penn State against the Hoosiers is that as many as four of five starters could be held out due to those bumps and bruises.
The Nittany Lions did have some more positive news to report on the injury front this week, though. According to Franklin, junior running back Keyvone Lee, who has missed much of the past five weeks due to injury, is expected to be available to contribute on Saturday at a suddenly-thin position.
“We’ll have three backs,” Franklin said. “We’re hoping it’ll be a game time decision with Keyvone Lee, but we’re hoping he’ll be available.”
