Blue White Illustrated

N A T E   B A U E R | N B A U E R @ B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M N O V E M B E R 1 6 , 2 0 1 6 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 9 Injuries reshape Nittany Lions' offensive line Senior offensive tackle Paris Palmer will miss the rest of the season due to a leg injury he suffered early in last week's game against Indiana, and the status of fellow tackle Brendan Mahon and guard Connor Mc- Govern is uncertain heading into Penn State's road finale on Sat- urday against Rutgers. Coach James Franklin con- firmed Palmer's status at his news con- ference on Tuesday during a lengthy discussion of the injury woes that have befallen the Nittany Lions' offensive line. Palmer had just rejoined the starting lineup aBer Andrew Nelson suffered a season-ending knee injury against Maryland. The juco transfer from Ply- mouth, N.C., started 11 games in his first season at Penn State but was a backup this year until Nelson's injury thrust him back into a starting role. He started at leB tackle against Ohio State, Purdue, Iowa and Indiana before being hurt at the end of the Lions' first offensive series against the Hoosiers. As for McGovern, who received an un- specified injury late in the game against Indiana, no decision has been made re- garding his availability. "It's too early in the week to make that decision," Franklin said. "We have all week long to figure that out. Obviously, it also helps with it being an 8 o'clock night game. … It does give us a little bit more time to get some guys healthy and ready to go. So it's too early to say on that." McGovern, who enrolled in January and took part in spring practice, has been starting at right guard since the Min- nesota game on Oct. 1. With several of their starters ailing, the coaches have discussed whether to call on true freshmen Will Fries and Michal Menet. Neither one has played yet this season, and the Lions have been hoping to redshirt both. But Franklin said that he has talked to them about forgoing their redshirts and playing in the team's final games. "I did bring Michal Menet and Will Fries into my office. That conversation went re- ally well," Franklin said. "Both those young men and their families are perfectly comfortable with us doing whatever we have to do to win and put the team first, so that conversation went really well." The 6-foot-4, 296-pound Menet is listed as the third-team leB guard on this week's depth chart, while the 6-6, 295- pound Fries is listed on the third team at both tackle spots. Franklin said Fries is more likely than Menet to see action, be- cause the Lions' needs are more acute at offensive tackle than at guard. But he said that as of Tuesday, no decisions had been made. "We'll see how it plays out. You would love to keep those guys as redshirts if you possibly can," he said. "But the way this thing is playing out, you never know. We want to be prepared for it. So those guys will be up with varsity and get a bunch of reps [in practice this week]." Also uncertain is Mahon's status. The redshirt junior tackle missed Penn State's game against Indiana due to an injury he sustained a week earlier against Iowa, but little else is known. Franklin's policy is to confirm injuries only when they are sea- son-ending. The Lions' coach has not done that with Mahon, indicating that he could potentially return to action at some point, but he is not listed on this week's depth chart. "We'll see how that goes," Franklin said. McGovern is listed on this week's depth chart, but Franklin isn't sure he will be able to play against Rutgers. Photo by Steve Manuel

• Cover