The last time Iowa football fans heard from Coach Kirk Ferentz was when he claimed Luke Lachey's injury was fairly significant. There has been no confirmation regarding how the star tight end's knee has been doing until recently. Lachey's injury was sustained during their matchup against the Western Michigan football squad. The situation has turned for the worse as they are set to lose the tight end for the Penn State football game and the whole season, per Scott Dochterman of The Athletic.

Luke Lachey's injury against the Western Michigan football squad came in the first quarter. The Iowa State football star suffered a twisted right leg. Cade McNamara threw the ball over to Lachey but it fell short due to Tate Hallock's coverage. Lachey went down hard and looked like he got the wind knocked out of him.

The Iowa State football tight end had 131 rushing yards on 10 receptions this season. Last year, he notched four receiving touchdowns on 28 receptions and 398 rushing yards. His loss will surely hurt the Hawkeyes' rushing and receiving game as McNamara gets one less star target.

Coach Kirk Ferentz also has to deal with other injuries on his squad ahead of their Penn State football matchup. Kaleb Johnson may also be out because of a high-ankle sprain. He was not seen in practice in the week before the game. Jaziun Patterson is also not on the team's tight end depth chart before they face the Nittany Lions. Will the Iowa State football squad pull off a victory despite these notable absences?