Injuries aside, No. 10 Penn State is locked in on closing out its nonconference slate on a high note

After a bye week that saw Penn State drop two spots in the polls to No. 10, the Nittany Lions are gearing up for their final nonconference game. Next up, Kent State inside Beaver Stadium this Saturday (3:30 p.m., Big Ten Network).

With the Lions sitting at 2-0, Franklin answered questions regarding the depth at safety, praised standout rookies, and gave perspective on taking on Kent State. In Penn State’s Week 2 win over Bowling Green, star safety KJ Winston exited the game with an apparent injury. Winston led Penn State in tackles last year and is already up to 13 tackles and a forced fumble this season.

Winston was not spotted at Penn State’s practice availability during the off week, prompting questions regarding his status. Franklin did not have any updates on Winston but said he “probably” would have an update after practice Tuesday.

Along with Winston, the Lions’ top safeties have been Jaylen Reed and Zakee Wheatley. Joining them is a freshman whom Franklin had a lot to say about in DeJuan “DaeDae” Lane.

“DaeDae is another guy that we’ve been trying to get more reps and more experience,” Franklin said. “DaeDae is going to be really important this week and obviously moving forward.”

Lane arrived at Penn State in the summer, but the four-star safety out of Baltimore has been a topic for weeks and should see playing time with or without Winston. Franklin acknowledged that despite having the aforementioned corps of players, the Lions will have to go deeper at the position, specifically in the short term.

» READ MORE: Penn State drops to No. 10 in the AP college football poll after a week off

While Lane is the standout freshman on defense, tight end Luke Reynolds is one of the highly touted freshmen on offense, seeing time in each of the two games.

After the unspecified long-term injury to Andrew Rappleyea, the former five-star recruit is primed to step up, and Franklin has made it clear that he has done so, adding he’s a “real big fan” of Reynolds’ approach.

“Luke is transitioned to a green light at this stage,” Franklin said in regard to burning Reynolds’ redshirt. “Luke’s doing really well. He’s one of these guys; he showed up on campus and was very driven and motivated to play. That is both mentally and physically.”

The Golden Flashes are 0-2 to start the season, including a 71-0 Week 2 loss to Tennessee. They went 1-11 last season.

After Penn State’s unexpectedly close, 34-27 win over Bowling Green on Sept. 7, many players talked about not being completely locked in to start the game. This time, the Nittany Lions will attempt to get off to a better start, and that begins with preparation.

“The challenge is really, it’s ultimately about us and our focus on Penn State and us getting better and developing and playing up to our standard week in and week out,” Franklin said. “We’re trying to get our staff and our players to approach every week with the same mentality.”

Even with Kent State’s struggles, Franklin found positives regarding the opponent. He praised Kansas transfer running back Ky Thomas, leading receiver Luke Floriea, and team sack leader Kameron Olds.

“They have our attention,” Franklin said in reference to the trio and Kent State as a whole. “There’s no doubt about it.”

» READ MORE: No. 10 Penn State worked to fix two main facets during its bye week: Tackling and technology.