Penn State Depth Chart & Injury Report Week 5: Indiana

EDIT: We incorrectly reported that tight end Nick Bowers is out for the season. This hasn’t been officially released, although being taken off the depth chart has not been a good sign for players with injuries during James Franklin’s tenure at Penn State. We’ll keep you updated on his status as more information is released.

The following depth chart is based on a true story.

We’re a third of the way through the regular season, and the injury bug has started to take a toll on the Nittany Lions. Tight End Nick Bowers, who was hurt over the Summer and hasn’t played all season, has been removed from the depth chart. Redshirt junior defensive end Torrence Brown has also been removed from the depth chart, signalling that his knee injury from the Georgia State game will keep him out for the season as well.

As a result of injuries, there has been some minor shuffling on the depth chart this week. Taking over Torrence Brown’s starting DE position is Ryan Buchholz, who will now start opposite Shareef Miller on the defensive line. Worthy of note, Shaka Toney moves into a second-string position behind Buchholz and Shane Simmons or Colin Castagna will backup Miller. Yetur Gross-Matos makes his first appearance on the depth chart, and is likely to see an increase in playing time given the frequent rotation of defensive lineman throughout the game.

In minor news, Josh McPhearson (Zech’s older brother) makes an appearance on the depth chart replacing Marcus Allen as a punt returner behind DeAndre Thompkins.

Reports of Blake Gillikin’s health remain postive, which is of utmost importance heading into this week’s matchup.

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