Maryland receiver Stefon Diggs out for regular season with kidney injury, per report

For a second consecutive year, Maryland wide receiver Stefon Diggs has had his season cut short by injury.

Diggs will miss at least the rest of the regular season due to a lacerated kidney suffered against Penn State, per a report from Matt Zenitz of the Baltimore Sun.

Zenitz reported after Maryland played Penn State that Diggs had suffered a midsection injury in that game. Diggs was already suspended for Maryland's Nov. 15 game against Michigan State, and this news takes him out for the Terps' final two games of the season, against Michigan and Rutgers, and potentially for a bowl game after those.

His loss would be a huge blow to a Maryland offense that has struggled gaining passing yards all year. Diggs is Maryland's leading receiver, with 52 catches, 654 yards and five touchdowns. He was also the Terrapins' kick returner on 20 of the team's 23 run-backs through nine games.

It was not immediately clear how Diggs was injured, but he was shaken up on a second down play deep inside Penn State territory, in the first minute of the fourth quarter. Diggs caught a screen pass from C.J. Brown and bolted toward the Nittany Lions' goal line. Three defenders converged on him, and as Diggs extended toward the line, he took a major blow from linebacker Mike Hull.

Diggs stayed down on the field and received treatment from trainers before walking off a short while later, then returning to the game. Here's another angle of Diggs reaching for the end zone and being clobbered by Hull as another defender sandwiches him:

Video of the play:

Because Diggs was reaching forward with both arms, his midsection was left unprotected and vulnerable.

Though this play looks dangerous, Diggs did play again afterward and, in fact, looked perfectly fine as he reached for the goal line on a similar play later on Maryland's next drive. He also did not look to be badly roughed up when he met with media members after the game, though that is a subjective assessment.

With Diggs out, Maryland is without no fewer than four receivers it expected to have before the season: Diggs, Taivon Jacobs (injury), Levern Jacobs (suspension) and Nigel King (transfer). Deon Long becomes the Terps' best wideout. He's likely to be joined on the depth chart by Marcus Leak, Amba Etta-Tawo, Jacquille Veii, Juwann Winfree and Malcolm Culmer.