Reid, Cain expected to be available for Penn State-Minnesota showdown

Penn State cornerback John Reid and running back Noah Cain, who left the Michigan State game two weeks ago with undisclosed injuries, could be ready to play at Minnesota in a battle of unbeatens Saturday, according to head coach James Franklin.

Reid, a senior, appeared to hurt his arm when he broke up a pass in the second quarter of Penn State’s 28-7 win over the Spartans. Later in the game, redshirt freshman cornerback Trent Gordon left the field with an undisclosed injury.

Keaton Ellis and Marquis Wilson, a pair of true freshmen, filled in nicely the rest of the way. Wilson made five tackles and his first career interception. Ellis had three tackles.

“I’ve been very pleased with our young corners,”

Franklin said. “We’ve had some bumps and bruises, where we’ve had to go deep in our depth there. I think those guys have done well.

“As the season has gone on, the coaches have gained more and more confidence in those guys. And I think they’ve gained more and more confidence in themselves. We’re going to need them down the stretch. We’re going to need them this week.”

Cain, a freshman, made the first start of his career at Michigan State and played two series before he went to the sideline. He had six carries for 21 yards and did not return.

He’s rotated at running back with sophomores Journey Brown and Ricky Slade and freshman Devyn Ford. • • • Sophomore defensive tackle PJ Mustipher is expected to make the first start of his career in place of junior Antonio Shelton, who was suspended one game by Penn State for spitting at a Michigan State player.

Mustipher and Fred Hansard, another sophomore, are expected to receive more playing time because of Shelton’s absence, along with starter Robert Windsor.

“I think you’ll see PJ and Rob probably get 15 more reps a game,” Franklin said. “It could be 20. We think they could handle that. You’ll see a little bit more of Fred and a little bit more of Judge (Culpepper), too. That’s going to be a big storyline for this game.

“I don’t think we’ve seen an o-line like them this year, but I’d also say I don’t know if they’ve seen a d-line like us before either.” ••• Franklin emphasized rest for Penn State’s players during their bye last week after a grueling three-week stretch against Iowa, Michigan and Michigan State.

“The rest and recovery were as important as anything,” he said.

The Lions also increased individual drills last week before taking off Thursday, Friday and Saturday and returning to practice Sunday.

“From a coaching staff perspective, we were able to go back and self-scout ourselves,” Franklin said. “We allowed our offensive guys to look at our defense and vice versa. There’s some value in that.”

Franklin and his staff also traveled Thursday through Saturday on recruiting trips.

“We had a really good bye week,” he said. “We got a lot done here in Happy Valley. We got a lot done all over the country.”