Penn State safety Ryan Keiser remained hospitalized Tuesday after surgery to repair a small bowel injury suffered as a result of fractured rib last week.
Speaking at his weekly teleconference, Nittany Lions coach James Franklin said Keiser was improving at Hershey Medical Center but that his season is likely over.
Keiser, a senior, broke his rib during Thursday’s practice, but complications arose soon after, Franklin said.
Franklin refuted a report that Keiser’s condition was compounded by internal bleeding and fluid build-up in his lungs, or that he had sepsis, a potentially severe blood infection that can lead to organ failure or death.
“There is no infection,” Franklin said. “I wanted to make sure that we are clear.”
Franklin said he has spoken with Keiser and his mother and received permission from Keiser’s family to release as much information as he did. Asked later to clarify his condition, Franklin declined.
Penn State spokesman Jeff Nelson told The Associated Press that he didn’t know when the bowel injury was diagnosed or when the surgery was performed.
A former walk-on from Selinsgrove who worked his way through the ranks, from holder to special teams maven to starting safety, entered last weekend’s game against Ohio State with 25 tackles, third most on the team behind linebackers Mike Hull and Nyeem Wartman. Franklin said the defense would miss Keiser’s experience, given that he made the defensive calls for the secondary. But he added that Keiser would likely be missed by the team even more away from the field, where he became a respected leader.
“I think so highly of him, I’ve talked about trying to get him to work for us in some type of role or capacity, whether it’s player development or things like that (after the season),” Franklin said. “I think he’s one of those kids that everybody in our program respects. He’s the type of guy that, when you spend time with him, he makes you want to be a better person. He makes you want to be a better coach. He’s a special, special young man. He’s in our prayers, and his family is in our prayers and we can’t get him back here soon enough.”
Punting woes
Franklin said the punting job for Saturday’s game against Maryland will be up for grabs in practice this week.
Combined, freshmen Chris Gulla and Danny Pasquariello averaged just 34.5 yards on their eight punts against Ohio State. Three of those eight punts, though, went for less than 30 yards, helping the Buckeyes gain a field position advantage throughout the game.
“Gulla had won the job and, really, the team and he had a lot of confidence,” Franklin said. “It’s one thing punting in practice, it’s another punting in games. I think he hasn’t been able to punt as consistently in games. You got to work through that.
“This week it will be open competition between the two of them. We will keep track of the yardage, the hang time all week long and whoever is the most consistent guy, we’ll go with them.”
On the blocks
It appears Penn State will have some question marks on the offensive line heading into the Maryland game, and it has nothing to do with whether they’ll be able to protect quarterback Christian Hackenberg this time.
Franklin said left tackle Donovan Smith, who did not return to the game after suffering an injury in the fourth quarter Saturday, is “to be determined” for the Terrapins. But, he also said he’s anticipating he’ll be able to play.
Either way, there could be a big shift in what the starting five will look like up front, as Franklin said the staff liked the job Angelo Mangiro did when he moved from center to right guard, with Wendy Laurent taking over at center. Franklin also didn’t completely rule out senior Miles Dieffenbach, who is still a week-to-week proposition as he recovers from knee surgery.
“The biggest thing,” Franklin said, “is we are never, ever going to put winning a game in front of what’s in the best interest of our players and our student‑athletes, and we want to make sure he’s prepared before we put him back on the field. That’s mentally, physically, emotionally, the whole package.”
No consolation
As he did after the game Saturday, Franklin refused any comment about the officiating in the 31-24, double-overtime loss to Ohio State.
The Big Ten clarified the ruling to uphold the ruling on safety Vonn Bell’s interception of a Christian Hackenberg pass in the first quarter that led to an Ohio State touchdown. It also said the officials made a mistake not calling a delay of game penalty on Sean Nuernberger’s 49-yard field goal that put the Buckeyes ahead by 10.
“Even though the conference came out and made statements, I still don’t think it’s appropriate or wise for me to comment,” Franklin said. “We’ve moved on. I’ve never addressed it with the team. We focus on the things that we can control.”
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