Penn State running back returns to field after serious injury

On Wednesday evening, Penn State football took the field for one of the final times before Saturday’s Blue-White Game. But the midweek practice was also the first time that we’ve seen running back Cam Wallace as a participant since the redshirt sophomore suffered a horrific leg injury last September.

Seven months after being assisted off the Beaver Stadium turf, James Franklin is pleased with the young Nittany Lion’s progress in recovery.

“He’s in a good position now,” Franklin commented. “With a significant injury like he had, there’s a physical component to it, there’s a mental component to it, and there’s an emotional component to it. So I think he’s in a good place.

“There are some types of injuries that the doctors are going to push you, because you got to work through it. And there’s others that you can’t. That was one of those. So I think he’s going to be in really good position for summer camp. And he’s right about where he should be at this stage.”

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A former three-star recruit, Wallace ran the ball 18 times for 63 yards and a score in the three games before his injury. Now, Wallace is looking to reinsert himself in the competition with redshirt freshmen Quinton Martin and Corey Smith for the third slot in the Nittany Lions’ running back rotation.

“It’s been really competitive, right? Everybody knows we’re going to play three running backs. So there’s a battle for that third running back,” Franklin said earlier this month. “I also think, you know, last year we had two guys that were trying to redshirt if we could. Those guys now, obviously, [have] been through that, so now not only are they competing to be that third running back, but they also need to have a huge impact on special teams.

“They probably could have last year, but again, we were trying to save the redshirt. So now it’s competing to be the third back, but it’s also competing for a big role on special teams, which they need to. They need to have a bigger role on special teams now that they’re able to.”

Penn State football will return to an under-construction Beaver Stadium Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. for the Blue-White Game. The annual spring scrimmage will not be televised. We will be on site to provide live updates throughout the afternoon.

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