Penn State 'hopeful' WR KJ Hamler will be ready for Ohio State

Big-play receiver KJ Hamler’s status for No. 9 Penn State’s matchup with No. 2 Ohio State on Saturday remains up in the air.

Hamler is Penn State’s leading receiver with 46 catches for 791 yards and eight touchdowns this season. He scored on a 93-yard TD pass in a 27-26 Penn State loss to Ohio State last season. He suffered an apparent concussion in the first quarter against Indiana last Saturday.

“We’re hopeful,” coach James Franklin said. “Obviously, we won’t know. There’s medical policies and procedures that we go through. We have to go through a series of steps.”

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Cain’s status

Freshman running back Noah Cain’s status also remains in question. He missed the last two games with a leg injury, but Franklin said he could have played against Indiana.

“Obviously, every week that goes by that he doesn’t play, the likelihood and the chances of him being closer to 100% happen,” Franklin said.

The urgency to get Cain back in the lineup may be mitigated by the emergence of Journey Brown, who has turned in back-to-back 100-yard games.

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Impressions of Young

Defensive end Chase Young, who has 13 1/2 sacks this season and is widely considered one of the top players in the country, has served a two-game suspension for an NCAA rules violation and is eligible to return to Ohio State’s lineup.

Penn State tight end Pat Freiermuth said there’s only one player he has faced in his college career who might remind him of Young.

“Chase Winovich maybe,” Freiermuth said, invoking the name of the Thomas Jefferson grad. “Chase Young is a great player. He just jumps out. He’s so physical. Physically dominant.”