Wide receiver Christian Jones will miss the entire season due to a knee injury sustained during practice, Northwestern announced Wednesday.

What was considered a strength for NU heading into the 2014 football season may now be a considerable weakness.

Jones was one of the top returning players for NU. After hauling in 54 passes for a team-high of 668 yards and four touchdowns last year, he was slated to start across from fellow star senior wideout Tony Jones. It’s unclear who will step up to fill Christian Jones’ place.

Senior Kyle Prater and juniors Cameron Dickerson and Miles Shuler are all viable options, but despite their class standings, each player is relatively unproven on the field. It will be a tall order to replace the productionof the rock-solid Jones, who has 105 receptions, 1275 yards and six scores in his career.

Even if one of those three emerges as a viable threat, junior superback Dan Vitaleand the now-hamstrung running game will also have to make bigger contributions in order to keep the offense afloat.

Jones is eligible for a redshirt and will return for the 2015 season, and according to a news release.

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