A torn ACL on punt coverage has ended Jerome Hayes' season for the second year in a row.
Hayes, the victim of an illegal chopblock by an Oregon State defender during Penn State's 45-14 win on Saturday, tore his left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) with 8 minutes, 44 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. The redshirt junior immediately crumpled to the ground in pain and clutched his left knee.
Players tried bringing Hayes to the bench, but he fell to the ground before being carried off by trainers and put no weight on the leg.
"That poor kid," Joe Paterno said. "He's worked so hard to get back."
Sports information director Jeff Nelson said Hayes should be eligible for a medical redshirt, which would give Hayes two more years of eligibility. Medical redshirts can be issued by the conference when a player has a season-ending injury before 20 percent of his team's games have been played.
The NCAA will also need to grant Hayes a sixth year of eligibility if the Big Ten grants him a medical redshirt since Hayes has all ready redshirted. Players have five years to exhaust four years of eligibility, so any additional year of eligibility must be granted by the NCAA.
The defensive end will have surgery within the next two to three weeks and rehabilitation will take approximately nine months, Dr. Wayne Sebastianelli said Sunday.
Hayes tore his right ACL last season against Wisconsin.
The defensive line's depth again finds itself tested. Tackle Devon Still and Hayes are lost to season-ending injuries, tackles Chris Baker and Phil Taylor were kicked off the team, and end Maurice Evans and tackle Abe Koroma were suspended from Saturday's game.
Hayes' injury also comes with an emotional price. Sean Lee, who's out for the season with a knee injury of his own, was in tears as Hayes was carted off the field. Linebacker Chris Colasanti also was visibly distraught, and defensive lineman Josh Gaines called Hayes "a little brother."
"It was tough seeing him go through it last year," Gaines said. "For him to go through it again, it's sad. It's sad. It's really a knife in the heart to see that happen to him again."
Hayes' replacement wasn't known, but one possibility is true freshman Jack Crawford. Crawford has been playing inside, but defensive end is considered his natural position.
