Justius Lowe injury update: Dan Lanning reveals Oregon WR's status for Penn State game

Oregon could have a new weapon back for its monster showdown with Penn State on Saturday night. Receiver Justius Lowe is beginning to get healthy again.

Coach Dan Lanning addressed his status on Wednesday. Lowe has missed the past two games with an undisclosed injury.

“I think he’s going to be available for this game,” Lanning said. “We’ll see as we get closer to the week.”

Justius Lowe has played in only two games so far this season, and he didn’t start in either. So Oregon won’t necessarily be hurting if he can’t play, but he could provide some additional firepower if he’s fully healthy again.

In two games this year, he has secured three catches for 31 yards. Last year, he started five games and caught 21 passes for 203 yards and a touchdown.

All weapons will need to be at the ready for the major conference showdown, which will set the early tone in the Big Ten race this season. Both Oregon and Penn State will be gunning hard for each other, and Justius Lowe could help move the needle.

Is the pressure on Penn State?

The status of Justius Lowe aside, this game is obviously huge for both programs. But it might be a little more imperative for Penn State, which is trying to help coach James Franklin shed the label that he doesn’t fare well in big games.

Franklin, of course, took steps to that end last year when he won two College Football Playoff games. But he did also lose to Oregon in the Big Ten Championship Game.

This will be a rematch where he can set that right. And for college football analyst Josh Pate, he kind of has to.

“I think it’s different because they have to have it, which is not an Xs and Os type of analytic breakdown,” Pate said on ESPN’s Get Up. An interesting, and perhaps unusual, take.

You can read more on Pate’s take on the Oregon-Penn State game here. He likes the Nittany Lions to eke one out on Saturday, even if Justius Lowe is available.