Penn State is hit by flu and injuries

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Penn State coach Joe Paterno at times sounded like a physician giving updates when asked Tuesday to run down his team’s assorted ailments.

Paterno reported that the flu-like illness that weakened about 15 players last week appears to have run its course, at least for now, on the No. 5 Nittany Lions (3-0).

But Linebacker U. is still hurting at its trademark position.

Team captain Sean Lee sprained his left knee during last week’s 31-6 win over Temple. A video clip on the team’s Web site showed Lee on Tuesday watching practice without pads as the rest of the team prepared for Saturday’s Big Ten opener against Iowa (3-0).

Fellow top linebacker Navorro Bowman has returned to practice after missing most of the first three games with a sore right groin. Bowman looked limber Tuesday afternoon pushing off his right leg.

Lee and Bowman are both listed as possible on the depth chart.

“I don’t really know whether [we’ll] have either one of them,” Paterno said. “You keep your fingers crossed that you’ll have one or both of them.”

Receiver Graham Zug also practiced after tests were negative for a possible concussion.

The medical report is just as precarious in Iowa City, where the Hawkeyes might be without left tackle Bryan Bulaga (undisclosed illness), tight end Tony Moeaki (leg) and wide receiver Derrell Johnson-Koulianos (hamstring). Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz didn’t go into more specifics on the injuries.

Johnson-Koulianos is a graduate of Cardinal Mooney High School.

Regardless, Ferentz wasn’t optimistic Tuesday about their chances of playing in Happy Valley. The three are considered to day to day.

“We haven’t had any Christmas presents yet this year, so we’ll just kind of play it like they’re not going to be with us,” Ferentz said.