Yaacov Yisrael managed to get himself out of Joe Paterno's doghouse, but he will still miss the season because he couldn't keep himself away from the infirmary.

Yisrael, last year's starting hero for the Penn State football team, tore his right anterior cruciate ligament at practice Wednesday when he planted his foot wrong trying to make a tackle in a skeleton drill.

He is expected to have surgery and rehabilitation will take approximately nine months, keeping him out for the entire season.

The redshirt junior had seemingly earned his way out of what Paterno said would be a five-game suspension for a DUI arrest last November.

He earned all A's in his 12-credit summer session.

"(This) is a real setback for the kid because he really has done well and had a great summer academically," Paterno said.

"He was practicing well and I probably would have played him in that game (Saturday against Central Florida).

"We had him on a probationary situation where he had to straighten up and do some things the way I felt that he had to do them and for us to be able to trust him. He had done that."

Yisrael started all 11 games at hero last season, finishing fourth on the team with 71 tackles. He also had an interception and a sack.

It was difficult for cornerback Rich Gardner to see Yisrael hurt. Gardner is also a redshirt junior and, like Yisrael, is from the Chicago area.

"A guy I looked up to is down," Gardner said.

"Because of the way we talked trash in practice and the way we bonded it's going to be real hard. I guess I'm just going to have to play for him now."

Paterno is also taking it hard because of the way Yisrael responded to the challenge of getting himself back on track.

"I always admire kids who pull themselves up by their boot straps and prove that one mistake isn't the end of the world," he said.

"I was kind of pulling for him because he has been an influence on the squad since he got himself into some trouble."

Yisrael's was the second injury to weaken the secondary.

Junior free safety Ben Lago tore his left ACL two weeks ago in practice and will also be out for the season.

Those two injuries will force the Lions' youthful backups to step up. Sophomores Andrew Guman and Chris Harrell, redshirt freshman Paul Cronin and true freshman Calvin Lowry are all expected to challenge for the starting hero position.

The rest of the secondary appears solid with Gardner and senior Bryan Scott at the corners and senior Shawn Mayer at free safety.