Penn State defensive end Pete Massaro will miss the entire 2011 season with a torn ACL, the Post-Gazette reports. Massaro got hurt in practice on Friday.
He was the Nittany Lions’ best big-play down lineman last year. He had 37 tackles, including eight for losses, and 3 1/2 sacks while starting the final 11 games.
Massaro also missed the 2009 season after tearing the ACL in his right knee in the Blue-White spring game.
Massaro’s injury is a big blow for Penn State’s defense, which already is thin at the end position since Jack Crawford (foot) and Eric Latimore (wrist) are sitting out spring drills with injuries.
There was a fair amount of speculation before today that Massaro’s injury could cost him the whole season, so this news doesn't come as a huge surprise, at this point. Jeff Junstrom wrote this weekend about the potential implications of losing Massaro for the year. This isn’t good news for the Nittany Lions.