Penn State wideout Tony Johnson said he faked a leg injury on the team's final drive of a 20-14 loss to Minnesota last Saturday so the Nittany Lions wouldn't have to use a timeout.

"I never really did get injured," Johnson said when asked about the apparent hamstring injury he sustained after catching a 10-yard pass in the fourth quarter Saturday. With the Lions trailing by six points, Johnson converted a second-and-six for a first down, then stayed on the ground and held the back of his leg. Trainers came out to attend to the receiver and he then hobbled off the field. However, Johnson said it was a move to give the team time to regroup.

"That was a situation where the o-line was getting kind of tired, so I decided to fake the injury to get an injury time out and not burn one of our timeouts. That was totally up to me."

After sitting for several plays, Johnson returned to the field for the game's final play, an incomplete pass to wideout Gerald Smith that sailed out of the corner of the end zone.

When offensive guard Tyler Reed was asked about the play during a teleconference yesterday, he was instructed not to answer the question.

Around 2:30 p.m. yesterday, the Penn State sports information office released a statement saying Johnson had sustained an injury during the game.

"Please be aware that Penn State wide receiver Tony Johnson was treated by team doctors following Saturday's game with Minnesota for a slight strain to his right hamstring," the release said.

"Johnson's comments on his conference call earlier today did not accurately portray the situation."

Penn State sports information assistant Brian Siegrist said yesterday that the release was to clarify what Johnson meant by his comments on his supposed injury, but that they weren't necessarily false.

"His comments had lead people to believe he wasn't injured at all," Siegrist said.

"Normally, the only guys that see the trainer after the game are ones who were injured."