Injury Report: Status of key Penn State football players revealed for UMass game

The bye week came at the right time for Penn State football. The Nittany Lions were battling “bumps and bruises” to several key players coming out of the Week 5 win over Northwestern, including to OL JB Nelson, RB Kaytron Allen, and WR Trey Wallace. Saturday’s homecoming matchup against UMass presents the opportunity to shake off the rust and prepare for next week’s epic showdown against Ohio State. But will any of these banged-up Nittany Lions see the field this afternoon? The Week 7 injury report just released by Penn State tells us what to expect. 

Penn State football releases injury report ahead of UMass game

Historically, injuries are a difficult subject for many college football programs looking to gain an edge over their opponents. But with the Big Ten’s new mandated injury reporting this season, we now gain additional insights that were previously unavailable.

Released two hours before kickoff, below are the players listed on the Penn State football injury report before its Week 7 game against UMass:

JB Nelson – OUT

Khalil Dinkins – OUT

Tyler Johnson – OUT

Carmelo Taylor – OUT

It’s important to note Kaytron Allen and Harrison Wallace III were not listed on the availability report meaning they are a full go for today. 

What has James Franklin said about key injured Nittany Lions?

James Franklin is historically tight-lipped regarding injuries within the Penn State football program. However, we have gained insights on several key Nittany Lions recently.

Starting OL JB Nelson was seen being carted off the field against Northwestern two weeks ago. Immediately after the game, Franklin said Nelson was back with the team. But the Penn State football coach has declined to give out many more details since, noting, “I’m not going to talk about injuries unless they’re season-ending.” Nelson has not been seen at the two practice viewing sessions since Northwestern.

RB Kaytron Allen also exited the Northwestern game and did not return. Franklin had not received a full medical report on Allen to comment on the injury immediately after the game. While Allen’s situation has not been discussed directly since, the Penn State RB has been seen at practice the last two weeks.

Trey Wallace has been battling an injury long before Northwestern. Penn State’s No. 2 WR has only played in three of five games this year. During the bye week, Franklin indicated that the Nittany Lions expected him back for Northwestern. But Wallace reaggravated the injury and ultimately sat out. However, Franklin noted that he anticipated Wallace would be a full participant moving forward.

“I think we’re in a pretty good place from that [a health] perspective,” Franklin said this week. “I mean, obviously, you’d always love to be totally healthy, and we’re not that, but I think we’re in a pretty good place.”

We’ll see how today’s injury updates will impact the starting lineup for Penn State football, which will be announced approximately 30 minutes prior to kickoff.

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