Penn State wide receiver Parker Washington will be out for rest of the season
Nov. 22—Penn State football coach James Franklin confirmed Tuesday that Parker Washington, the team's leading receiver, will miss the rest of the season with an undisclosed injury.
The 5-10, 212-pound Washington apparently was hurt last week during practice in preparation for the Nittany Lions' game at Rutgers, which they won 55-10.
"Parker Washington will be done for the season," Franklin said at his weekly press conference. "I did have that conversation with him and his mom. I wanted to make sure I covered that with them first so that everyone was comfortable with that."
Washington, a three-year starter, made 46 catches for 611 yards and two touchdowns this season. He has 146 receptions for 1,920 yards and 12 touchdowns in his career and ranks ninth in catches in school history, 12th in receiving yards and 16th in TD catches.
With Washington out, Harrison Wallace III and Omari Evans saw more action at Rutgers behind Mitchell Tinsley and KeAndre Lambert-Smith. Wallace caught three passes for 49 yards and Evans had one reception for 11 yards.
"I am excited for them," Franklin said. "That's kind of the nature of our game. When opportunity presents itself you've got to be ready. To me, that's always kind of an interesting situation because a lot of guys are ready when their number gets called and some guys aren't.
"That's going to be really important for us moving forward. We're also going to need Ke (Lambert-Smith) and Mitch (Tinsley) to take on more responsibility."
Tinsley made five catches for 63 yards at Rutgers, and Lambert-Smith had three receptions for only 9 yards.
Michigan State (3-5 Big Ten, 5-6), which plays at No. 11 Penn State (6-2, 9-2) Saturday at 4 p.m. (TV-FS1, WEEU-AM/830), has a weak defense. The Spartans rank 117th nationally in pass defense efficiency and 85th in passing yards allowed.
Franklin was not as clear about the status of left tackle Olu Fashanu and cornerback Joey Porter Jr., who have been out in recent weeks.
Fashanu, who was playing at an All-Big Ten level, sustained an undisclosed leg injury last month against Ohio State and has missed the last three games.
Porter was playing at an All-America level before he sat out the last two games with appendicitis.
"Olu Fashanu, we expect back," Franklin said. "When that is? We'll see. Hopefully this weekend. We'll see how that plays out. The same thing with Joey Porter."
Freshman Drew Shelton has started the last three games in Fashanu's place and has played superbly.
Penn State also has been playing without left guard Landon Tengwall, who's out for the year with an upper-body injury, and right tackle Caedan Wallace, who has missed the last four games with an undisclosed injury. Cornell transfer Hunter Nourzad has played in Tengwall's spot, and Bryce Effner in Wallace's position.
The makeshift offensive line has helped the Lions average 43.3 points and 221.7 rushing yards in the last three games and have allowed just three sacks.
"One of the things I'm most proud of is that we're getting better each week," Franklin said. "The best teams in college football get better individually and collectively throughout the season. We're doing that."
