Nittany Lions’ Shorthanded Squad Heads to Spartan Turf
Penn State enters its Big Ten clash at Michigan State with a drastically thin roster. Of four scholarship quarterbacks on the depth chart, only redshirt freshman Ethan Grunkemeyer is available after season-ending injuries sidelined starter Drew Allar and backups Jaxon Smolik and Bekkem Kritza. In a nod to desperation, senior wide receiver Liam Clifford remains the emergency signal-caller. On defense, cornerback A.J. Harris is questionable, and pass-rush threat Chaz Coleman and safety Antonio Belgrave-Shorter are out. The Nittany Lions are scrambling to piece together an offense that has repeatedly leaned on Grunkemeyer’s growth and clutch playmaking.
It’s Monday morning in Happy Valley, and coach Terry Smith is auditioning his third cousin twice removed as an emergency kicker—because, why not, right? With three quarterbacks on injured reserve, the offense has essentially become a choose-your-own-adventure: step 1, hand off; step 2, panic; step 3, hand off again. Meanwhile, Penn State’s PR team is busy crafting inspirational posters featuring Clifford in a helmet two sizes too small: “When Life Gives You Injuries, Make QBade.” Fans have been instructed to bring their own foam fingers and CPR kits. If this game doesn’t go their way, the Nittany Lions might have to call in the marching band to run a Wildcat formation—at least the trombones know how to blow.
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