EAST LANSING - Michigan State will be without a key special teams player for an extended period of time.
Fifth-year senior punter Jake Hartbarger will be out for up to two months after being injured during Saturday's 16-13 loss at Arizona State.
"Jake is out for six to eight weeks," Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio said Tuesday morning. "He's got a bone bruise or maybe a slight fracture in there. We're going to miss him."
With Hartbarger out, redshirt freshman Rocky Lombardi, who is the backup quarterback, will take over as the starting punter. He made his college debut Saturday after Hartbarger was hurt and the left-footed kicker had a 32-yard punt.