Penn State vs. Temple injury report: Who's out and who has to step up for the Nittany Lions

No. 16 Penn State faces Temple in Week 2 on the road with kickoff slated for 12 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

During the week, head coach Matt Campbell gave injury updates on players and recovery timelines. As a reminder, the Big Ten does not require teams in the conference to release an official availability report until in-conference matchups take place.

Here is Penn State's unofficial injury report for its Week 2 matchup vs. Temple that includes who has to fill in because of the injuries and will be updated until kickoff.

Defensive end LaVar Arrington II: OUT

Arrington will be out for four to six weeks, per Campbell, due to knee surgery he had before the season. That puts him at a spot of returning potentially in Week 6 or 7. The Nittany Lions could also opt to hold off on playing him until after the bye week for extra recovery depending on where he's at in the process and if Penn State needs him out there.

The defensive end room is stacked, so defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn should have no problem working around Arrington's absence. Caleb Bacon was a star vs. Marshall in Week 1 and the Nittany Lions still have Max Granville and Yvan Kemajou as well.

Offensive tackle Owen Aliciene: Questionable

Aliciene was out in Week 1 and was not dressed in pre-kickoff warm-ups for the Nittany Lions then. He was limited in practices leading up to the regular season.

The offensive line didn't look bad vs. Marshall and Malachi Goodman seems like the right fit for the starting left tackle role. Whether Aliciene is available or not is not something worrisome for Penn State. If anything, like Arrington, not having non-conference opportunities hurts him more.

Defensive tackles Armstrong Nnodim and Alijah Carnell: Questionable

Per William Horstman of Penn State on SI, Nnodim and Carnell were warming up ahead of Saturday's contest. Their availability is questionable after being out for Week 1 vs. Marshall. Last week, neither were in uniforms pre-kickoff, and they're also not big names Campbell has to worry about if they are limited in today's game.

The defensive tackles weren't in the spotlight in Week 1 in general, but Keanu Williams, Dallas Vakalahi, Siale Taupaki, and Ty Blanding shared a majority of the snaps on the line and held up well vs. Marshall's offense clearly.

Tight end Gabe Burkle: Probable

Burkle is one of the big names that might make his debut as a Nittany Lion this week. He's been recovering from a knee injury and was doubtful to play against Marshall last week.

Andrew Rappleyea and Benjamin Brahmer held down the fort as pass-catchers and blockers in Week 1, so getting Burkle out there to find his role in this offense is critical early on in the season. Three tight ends might seem like a lot, but it will be interesting to see how offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser deploys them.

Linebacker Alex Tatsch: Probable

Tatsch was also doubtful to play in Week 1 due to an undisclosed injury, but, like Burkle, Penn State expects to see him back out there sooner rather than later. His debut could also be today vs. Temple.

Tatsch has an easier time weaving his way into this linebacker rotation compared to Burkle and the tight ends. Yes, it's still a stacked room with a ton of talent, but it seems like the linebackers might share the wealth in snaps, especially after Bacon made the move over to defensive end.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow