10/28/2022 football Edit

Penn State versus Ohio State - Injury Report

Justin Morganstein • Happy Valley Insider

Staff Writer

Penn State has a crucial test ahead this weekend as it prepares to take on Ohio State at home.

The Nittany Lions are coming off a bounce-back win against Minnesota last Saturday where they won comfortably in front of a whiteout crowd and gained some much needed momentum heading into this matchup.

Both Penn State and the Buckeyes head into this game with some health issues in certain areas that could affect how this game pans out.

Here is who could be available or unavailable for both teams on Saturday.

Penn State

Penn State has been able to overcome a number of injuries over the past couple of games to some key players on the roster.

Starting left guard Landon Tengwall did not participate for the second week in a row after suffering a pregame injury at Michigan.

Transfer Hunter Nourzad started in Tengwall’s place last weekend and held his own but will face a much tougher task this week with Ohio State’s defensive line.

Wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith was unavailable in the win against the Gophers after suffering an injury against Northwestern.

Lambert-Smith tried to play against Michigan the week prior but was very limited and did not catch a pass in the loss in Ann Arbor.

A surprise absence for the Nittany Lions last weekend was defensive end Chop Robinson, who was in street clothes for pregame warmups and was a spectator for the win.

There hasn’t been an update on Robinson’s absence but he has played a big role for Manny Diaz’s defense and his presence would surely be missed against the Buckeyes.

RB Keyvone Lee and OL Nick Dawkins ere among other non-participants on Saturday and their statuses are up in the air for this matchup against Ohio State.

Ohio State

Ohio State also comes into this game with a number of key injuries and may have to rely on some different pieces to get the job done on the road this week.

Preseason Heisman hopeful Jaxon Smith-Njigba has been dealing with injury trouble throughout the season and had to leave the game against Iowa due to a lingering injury.

If he can go against Penn State it wouldn’t be a surprise to see his snaps limited especially with the emergence of the rest of the Buckeyes’ young receiving corps this year.

The Ohio State secondary is also banged up as veteran cornerback Cameron Brown just missed his third game in four weeks and safety Kourt Williams is out with a potential long term injury.

The good news for the program though is that it got sophomore cornerback Jordan Hancock back last weekend after he missed the first six weeks of the season due to injury.

With the secondary being as thin as it is for the Buckeyes, his return is crucial especially given the talent Penn State has at receiver.

Another injury that could play a factor in this game is to starting long snapper Bradley Robinson who suffered what appeared to be a serious injury against Iowa that forced him to leave the game.

There are also a number of depth pieces that are hurt for Ryan Day’s team with 14 total players being unavailable in Iowa City last weekend.

But in typical Buckeye fashion, the program has been able to overcome those injuries and get production from those who are ready to play.