Lock Beachum had just gotten food from one of the Beaver Stadium concession stands with his wife and parents when he arrived back to his seat after halftime and was delivered the bad news.

"Daryll Clark Sr. grabbed me and said, 'Brandon just got hurt,' " he said. "My heart dropped. I put my food down and went down to sidelines. It was one of the tougher moments I ever had as parent."

One look at his son and a few words from Penn State Director of Athletic Medicine Dr. Wayne Sebastianelli were all it took for Lock to know that his son, Brandon Beachum, had suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee and was done for the rest of the season.

"I could have cried at that very moment," Lock said. "I was very devastated and saw pain in Brandon's face that I'd never seen. It just made my heart bleed."

Beachum suffered the injury during Penn State's 31-20 win over Indiana Saturday on the opening kickoff of the second half. He was attempting to recover a Jerome Hayes fumble.

Not seeing it unfold, his father said, was "God's way of protecting" him.

Beachum, a running back, played in every game as a true freshman last season and still has a redshirt available if he wants to use it. His father said that decision will not be made until Beachum's status for next fall is clear.

"He didn't wanna redshirt as a freshman and he certainly doesn't wanna right now," Lock said. "I can honestly tell you if for some type of reason he's not ready in the fall, we certainly will consider it."

Beachum appeared in all 11 games for the Nittany Lions this season, rushing for 113 yards and one touchdown on 24 carries.

The Youngstown, Ohio, native will undergo surgery in the next two weeks, followed by a minimum of nine months of rehabilitation.

Beachum was carted off the field after the injury. Lock said he and his wife stayed in the locker room with Beachum for the second half of the game.

Once it ended, Lock said, Joe Paterno talked to Beachum alone.

"Saturday evening was very tough for him because of the pain and reality of the injury," Lock said, adding that his son's spirits have picked up in the days since.

Lock Beachum was a former college player himself, having played at Miami (Ohio).

He said he had to miss a few games during his playing days because of ankle injuries and said Brandon himself suffered a minor knee injury in his first-ever high school game, but neither ever faced surgery.

He has told his son that his destiny at Penn State will not be derailed because of one injury, promising Brandon that he would overcome this obstacle.

"It's probably the toughest physical challenge of his life, but he's only 19 and believe me -- there are a whole lot more significant challenges in life than knee injuries," Lock said. "I made light of injury. I think he's embraced that and accepted it and understands reality: that he needs to focus on getting better and playing."