NN TV: Video / Notes from Penn State Football’s Bye Week Availability
Following a gritty 17-7 win against Northwestern on Saturday, No. 10 Penn State is now in the midst of a 13-day hiatus with a road trip to No. 4 Michigan looming.
Before James Franklin and company fully shift their attention to the Wolverines, the ninth-year head coach is set to head out on the recruiting trail to catch up with current verbal pledges and prospects before the off week comes to a halt.
Aside from Franklin’s weekend away from Happy Valley, several other prominent storylines surrounded the confines of Holuba Hall on a rainy Wednesday afternoon in Happy Valley. Here are some takeaways from Penn State’s bye-week availability period.
KeAndre Lambert-Smith’s Injury
After suffering a lower-body injury on the Nittany Lions’ first offensive series against Northwestern, starting wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith returned to the Beaver Stadium sidelines in street clothes and a walking boot for the remainder of Saturday afternoon’s matchup.
While Franklin didn’t elaborate on the severeness of the junior route runner’s setback postgame, Lambert-Smith was absent from Tuesday’s practice period held at Holuba Hall. In his place, redshirt freshman Trey Wallace took most of the remaining first-team reps alongside Parker Washington and Mitchell Tinsely.
During his second season in Happy Valley, Wallace has steadily emerged as a reliable reserve target for signal caller Sean Clifford. Through five games, Wallace boasts seven receptions for 86 yards — good for a solid 12.3 yards-per-catch clip. While Lambert-Smith currently holds more receiving yards on the campaign in comparison to the second-year weapon, Wallace only has two fewer catches with snap count limitations.
Jaden Dottin’s Availability
Two weeks ago, third-year pass catcher Jaden Dottin roamed the Nittany Lions’ sideline in street clothes in preparation for the squad’s matchup with Central Michigan. Although Dottin did not see any in-game action in the latest matchup with Northwestern, the Connecticut native was a full participant in Tuesday afternoon’s practice period.
Despite entering the program in the same recruiting class as Washington and Lambert-Smith, Dottin has yet to put his measurably high ceiling on full display. At 6’2”, 198-pounds, the sizable receiver has the potential to give the Nittany Lions much-needed length on the outside, but with only two catches for 14 yards on the campaign, Dottin appears as though he’s yet to hit his stride.
Smith Vilbert’s Absence
Towards the midway point of Franklin’s media availability period, the ninth-year head coach revealed a shocking revelation about an up-and-coming defensive lineman who ended the 2021 campaign poised for a breakout run.
Without much prior reason or indication, Franklin relayed that the Nittany Lions will be without defensive end Smith Vilbert for the entirety of the season. Vilbert, who terrorized Arkansas with a three-sack performance on New Year’s Day, had yet to see any action this year prior to Franklin’s announcement.
“Smith [Vilbert] will not be available this week and will not be available this season,” Franklin said.
When Franklin was asked about Vilbert’s noticeable void last week, the head coach mentioned that he needed to have a sit-down conversation regarding the passer rusher’s future with the Nittany Lions.
“I’d like to sit down with Smith and make sure that we’re on the same page,” Franklin said.
Mid-Season Recruiting Outings
While prepping the Nittany Lions’ for their upcoming top-10 road battle with Michigan certainly ranks among Franklin’s top priorities, the head coach will be out of town this weekend to continue bolstering the program’s future on the recruiting trail.
Penn State will continue with a normally-scheduled practice trajectory on Wednesday but come Thursday, the weekend plans consist of solely travel for most of the coaching staff.
“The biggest difference, obviously, is we’re going to practice today, we’ll practice tomorrow, and then most of the staff will go on the road recruiting,” Franklin said. “The coordinators and the GAs will stay [in State College]. They’ll have a practice Thursday, then the coordinators will get out Thursday after practice, and then we’ll recruit all day Friday, [and] obviously all day Saturday.”
Kicking Rotation
For most of Franklin’s full eight-year tenure in Happy Valley, the head coach has typically leaned towards having different specialists handle kickoffs and field goal duties, respectively.
Over the last two weeks, fifth-year veteran Jake Pinegar has held both responsibilities, but moving forward, Franklin would like to see second-year weapon Gabe Nwosu take sole ownership of kickoff duties.
“I think Jake’s [handled kickoffs] the last two games,” Franklin said. “Like I said before the season, I’d like to specialize if we could. Jake is the more veteran guy, we know he can do it. But, I think if we could specialize, that would help. But, we haven’t been able to do that as of yet, so we will continue to probably rotate Jake and Gabe. Gabe is closer in that battle. He’s been a little bit more consistent, so we’ll see how that continues to play out.
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