Senior cornerback DeMario Suggs broke his left ankle in practice Thursday, a day after redshirt freshman cornerback Jason Harmon broke his right ankle in practice.
Both Suggs and Harmon suffered similar injuries and will miss eight-to-10 weeks, Assistant Athletics Director John Lewandowski said.
“He was on punt coverage,” Lewandowski said. “He planted, slipped and it snapped.”
The injury occurred during the last play of practice in the special teams period, Lewandowski said.
The injuries come to an already depleted Spartan secondary. Harmon was playing in place of senior cornerback Cedric Henry, who was declared academically ineligible in August.
“This is a devastating injury because we’re already so thin in the defensive secondary,” MSU head coach Bobby Williams said in a statement.
Junior cornerback Broderick Nelson will return to the starting lineup and freshman safety Robert Flagg will also get playing time, Williams said.
“This injury creates another opportunity for someone to step up and contribute.” Williams said. “When Cedric Henry was declared academically ineligible in August, Jason Harmon took full advantage of that opportunity. Now Broderick Nelson has a chance to assume a greater role and Robert Flagg will see more time in the playing rotation.”
Through three games, Suggs has recorded 16 total tackles and Harmon and Nelson have both recorded seven. In limited playing time, Flagg has made two tackles.
