The injury bug has bitten ISU linebacker Chris Whitaker for the second time since spring practice.

Whitaker tore his left ACL Saturday during a non-contact drill in practice and will miss the remainder of the season. This serious injury comes on the heels of Whitaker’s recovery of a broken right leg suffered in spiring practice.

With the football season only being one game old, Whitaker will receive a medical redshirt and the junior will have two years of eligibiity remaining.

“It breaks your heart to see it because he worked so hard to come off that broken leg and was really making progress,” ISU head coach Dan McCarney said. “Chris will have a chance to report back to spring ball; definitely should be ready next year, and we’ll redshirt him, so he’ll have two years left.”

Whitaker was backing up Matt Word at middle linebacker. Royce Hooks and Boyd Viers will move up on the depth chart and fullback Joe Woodley will pull double duty on both sides of the ball. Woodley was an all-state linebacker at West Des Moines Valley High School.

“We’re continuing to build depth at linebacker,” McCarney said. “We’re working Woodley in at linebacker, and he’ll bring some juice to our defense. He’s our fullback, but we don’t use our fullback a lot, so this will get him on the field more.”

– Jeremy Gustafson