Blue White Illustrated

S E P T E M B E R 2 6 , 2 0 1 5 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . c O M 11 T I M   O W E N | O W E N . T I M . B W I @ G M A I L . c O M Initially, it appeared as though Saquon Barkley was on his way to yet another ca- reer day. Instead, a hurt ankle ended the freshman running back's day prema- turely. That, along with a host of other injuries, put a damper on Penn State's 37-21 vic- tory over San Diego State Saturday in Beaver Stadium, but as head coach James Franklin said during postgame news con- ference, "We grinded through it." Barkley, who surpassed 100 yards in the previous two games against Buffalo and Rutgers, gained 62 yards on eight carries Saturday, including a 34-yard long. He also scored a touchdown on his only re- ception – a screen pass on which he danced and weaved through defenders for 22 yards and a score. His ninth touch of the game, however, proved to be his last. As Barkley was challenging for extra yards on a 21-yard carry in the second quarter, he was pushed out of bounds. Then a SDSU de- fender fell on his right ankle. Franklin said Barkley got "rolled up on." Although he returned to the field once halAime concluded in full pads – and was jogging along the sideline – Barkley didn't come back into the game. Soon aAer Barkley exited, fellow run- ning back Akeel Lynch went down aAer he was tackled at the knees toward the end of the second quarter. Lynch stayed down on the field for a few minutes be- fore walking himself off the field. The injury bug didn't only bite on the offensive side of the football for Penn State. The Lions' misfortune began with Jor- dan Lucas. The senior safety was not in pads for warm-ups and missed the entire game due to a reported shoulder injury. Soon aAer play began, fellow safety Mar- cus Allen leA the field and went back to the locker room. He came back to the sideline before the half with his right arm in a sling and in street clothes. Additionally, defensive end Evan Schwan leA the field and didn't return with an undisclosed injury. Then starting Sam linebacker Brandon Bell, who missed week two with a leg injury, leA the field with a limp. Bell, however, re- turned on the following drive and said aAer the game that he only got "dinged up" and "came right back in." Franklin and PSU's coaching staff rarely comment on the injury status of players. That, of course, was the case Saturday, but Franklin said even he didn't know the severity of the various players' injuries. He's hoping to have a better understand- ing Sunday aAer further medical exami- nation. "Not only do I not talk about it, but I don't have anything I can really tell you at this point," Franklin said. "A lot of times – it's no different with you guys – you get an injury, but you don't know the specifics and details until the next morning. There are tests that need to be done. Not only do I not share [injury in- formation], but I don't have anything to share." The rash of injuries Saturday came on top of an already long disabled list for the Nittany Lions. Starting Mike LB Nyeem Wartman- White suffered a season-ending knee injury in the opener against Temple, and starting offensive tackle Andrew Nelson hurt his knee in week two and has yet to return. Those are the two most notable. Franklin acknowledged how the in- juries are piling up in comparison to last season, but attributed it to (bad) luck rather than a change in conditioning or routine. Nonetheless, he'll examine the methods to determine if there's some type of common denominator connect- ing the latest setbacks. "We'll talk to the training staff as well as the strength staff," he said. "But we're not doing anything we haven't done for the last five years. … I don't know how much you can factor those things in. We'll look at all [the season's injuries]. We'll study it. We've had a number of them – no doubt about it." While the team felt impact of all the losses, perhaps the loss of Lynch and Barkley showed up most on the stat sheet aAer the game. Penn State tallied 63 rushing yards in the first half. In the second, without Lynch or Barkley, PSU gained a net total of 9. Said Franklin, "We weren't as con- sistent running the ball aAer we lost Akeel and Saquon." Their replacements, redshirt freshmen Mark Allen and Nick Scott, combined for 11 carries and just 14 yards. While Franklin won't glean further information about the status of Lynch or Barkley until Sunday, he said they'll further evaluate the backup running back situation this week. "All the running backs are freshmen besides Akeel," Franklin said. "Mark Allen had a great camp. Nick Scott had a great camp. We'll have to look at it, de- pending on what happens tomorrow and if we feel like we're getting these guys back." Injuries put damper on PSU's win Lynch, Barkley forced out of game, adding to Lions' depth concerns STRONG START Barkley gained 62 yards before leaving the game. Photo by Steve Manuel

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