Penn State coach James Franklin doesn’t get into injuries.
Unless a player isn’t returning during the season, Franklin doesn’t reveal much about an injured player’s status, and receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith is no exception.
Lambert-Smith went down on the second play of Penn State’s most recent game, which took place Oct. 1 against Northwestern at Beaver Stadium.
After Penn State’s 17-7 win, Lambert-Smith was seen wearing a walking boot.
Franklin didn’t say much about Lambert-Smith’s injury after the Northwestern game and didn’t add much more than a week later, and we still don’t know whether Lambert-Smith will be ready to go Saturday at Michigan.
“As you guys know,” Franklin told reporters in his weekly press conference Tuesday, “I don’t get into a whole lot of specifics and details with injuries. I’ve learned over nine years that you’re going to ask anyway. But we’re hopeful to have KeAndre for Saturday. We’ll see how this works out.”
“Sometimes it’s challenging even if I wanted to answer the question on a Tuesday because it’s still very early in the week.”
Franklin might have tipped his hand earlier in the press conference.
When asked about Penn State’s receivers room, Franklin causally said Lambert-Smith was “coming back” but didn’t specify when.
Lambert-Smith has nine receptions for 104 yards in his third season and a touchdown through four games.
Lambert-Smith’s lone touchdown catch was a big one, coming in the third quarter of Penn State’s 35-31 season-opening win at Purdue. So far, that Purdue game has been Lambert-Smith’s best of 2021. He finished the night with four catches for 58 yards and the score. Tinsley is considered QB Sean Clifford’s No. 3 option behind Mitchell Tinsley and Parker Washington.
