Silas Redd will be busy Saturday.
Penn State running back Brandon Beachum was spotted walking in downtown State College with a boot on his right foot Thursday afternoon.
Beachum said he sprained his right ankle, and he will not play Saturday against Eastern Michigan.
The redshirt junior said someone fell on his right foot during a goal line drill at practice on Tuesday. Beachum said he saw team doctors Tuesday after practice. X-rays confirmed he sprained his ankle but had not broken anything.
Beachum said he hopes to be ready to play when the Nittany Lions open their Big Ten schedule on the road at Indiana on Oct. 1.
Lacking game experience in the backfield, the Lions’ running game will be limited Saturday.
Redd has taken the majority of the Lions’ carries this season, gaining 259 yards on 50 attempts.
Beachum is second on the team with 82 yards on 21 carries, while redshirt sophomore Curtis Dukes is third with just six touches.
Coach Joe Paterno said Tuesday that while Dukes is improving, he has to beat out both Beachum and Redd for more playing time.
“[Curtis] did not play in a great, tough competitive league,” Paterno said. “And he doesn’t block real well yet. And he makes some mental mistakes in the non-running game, pass protection, things like that.”
Paterno added senior Stephfon Green, who was charged with furnishing alcohol to minors on Sept. 8, won’t play until further notice.
“I said [to Stephon], ‘Well, you’ve got to prove to me that you buy into the program. And the minute I’m convinced you do that, why, we’ll start to think about using in the football game,’ ” the coach said.
Beachum carried a season-high 11 times for 28 yards last week against Temple, as Redd battled hamstring cramps throughout the game.
Beachum said Redd hasn’t had any problems with cramps this week in practice, and he should be 100 percent for Eastern Michigan.
