Sean Lee practices with Penn St., hopes to play

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Injured Penn State linebacker Sean Lee returned to practice this week, though coach Joe Paterno is proceeding cautiously in getting his defensive leader back in a game.

Lee did some light drills Monday after sitting out the last three weeks because of a left knee sprain. The senior hopes to build up activity this week to the point where he can join the No. 14 Nittany Lions on Saturday when they play host to Minnesota.

“If I keep progressing and feeling good, I’ll be ready to go,” Lee said Tuesday. “Based on how I felt yesterday, I think that’s going to be the case.”

Not so fast, Paterno said.

The coach has emphasized that he didn’t want to rush Lee back out of fear that it could risk a potential NFL career. Lee had already missed the 2008 season because of a right knee injury, though he was playing well earlier this season before the left knee problem.

The team doctor will decide whether Lee is a go for the Gophers.

“He could do everything, it’s just a question of whether he can do and stay healthy physically,” Paterno told reporters. “If we play Sean, Sean’s going to have play as if he’s not hurt.”

Penn State (5-1, 1-1 Big Ten) is 2-1 without Lee, the loss a 21-10 defeat to Iowa on Week 4. Lee wasn’t needed the last two weeks, when the Nittany Lions easily handled Illinois and FCS school Eastern Illinois.

But the second half of the season likely won’t be as easy. After Minnesota, Penn State hits the road for games at Michigan and Northwestern before returning home Nov. 7 for the showdown against Ohio State.

The regular-season finale is Nov. 21 at Michigan State.

Lee said he understands why Paterno and the medical staff are being cautious. He said he thought the left knee would be 100 percent again this season, though he will have to wear a brace as a precaution.

“After the first week, I knew this was going to take longer than I thought,” Lee said. “Within the last week, week-and-a-half, it’s really accelerated and I’ve felt good.”

Lee has dressed for games while out, joining fellow captain Daryll Clark for the pregame coin flip before donning a headset to serve as an unofficial assistant. It’s not quite the experience that Lee anticipated in his final year in Happy Valley.

Linebacker, in particular, has been a problem this season at banged-up Penn State. Besides Lee, the Nittany Lions lost promising sophomore and potential starter Michael Mauti in preseason to a right knee injury.

Penn State’s other star linebacker entering the season, Navorro Bowman, missed most of the first three games with a sore right groin. Bowman has returned to form, showing the explosiveness that made him a defensive terror last season.