How Penn State defensive tackle PJ Mustipher continues to inspire his teammates by play on-field
Penn State defensive tackle PJ Mustipher looked at Saturday as “one of his better games” after the 17-7 victory over Northwestern.
Mustipher returned from a season-ending knee injury in 2021 against Iowa and understood that he would have to slowly return to form. The senior entered Saturday’s game with eight total tackles through four games. He doubled his output with eight additional tackles, along with 0.5 tackles for loss against the Wildcats.
He believes that he can only improve from this point.
“I’m just continuing to get better and it’s starting to show up on the field on Saturday,” Mustipher said. “So, it’s a day-by-day thing and I said it a week ago — I don’t know if I’ll be able to play my best football until the end of the season. I’ll continue to focus on what I’ve got to focus on during the middle of the week, focus on this team and everything else will take care of itself.”
As a fifth-year senior, Mustipher has been at the head of leading his team’s defensive line for quite some time. He commanded the respect of teammates, according to those surrounding him on the defense, including fellow senior safety Ji’Ayir Brown. And he made many of his teammates’ jobs easier by using a bevy of power and speed rushes to attack his opponents.
Brown also had a strong game by his own standards. The senior had six tackles (five solo), one tackle for loss that resulted in a five-yard loss and an interception return for 34 yards in the first quarter. Much of Brown’s success came from a collapsing pocket and Northwestern quarterback Ryan Hilinski’s skittishness while throwing, due to a pressuring Penn State defensive line. Hilinski went 15-for-37 (41%) on passes for 210 yards with one touchdown pass and one interception.
The senior safety credited the pass rush of his defensive line, especially Mustipher, for the defense’s success on Saturday.
“I made a play for my team, thanks to the rush from the defensive line,” Brown said. “When you’ve got a defensive line like that does a decent job of getting to the quarterback, it’s not too much the quarterback can do. That makes my job a lot easier when you’ve got Chop Robinson, PJ Mustipher, Hakeem Beamon, Nick Tarburton and the rest of the guys that come in after them.”
Mustipher not only drew praise from Brown, but from his head coach James Franklin, who has looked toward Mustipher for consistency, leadership and focus. That’s what he saw from one of the leaders of his defense.
“I think PJ is playing extremely well,” Franklin said. “He just continues each week to gain more confidence, both physically, mentally and emotionally is playing really well right now.”
With a little less than 12 minutes left in the game, Penn State found itself backed into a corner with 17-7 lead. The Wildcats drove down to 1-yard line in 10 plays. Northwestern had a fourth and goal and attempted to punch the ball in on a sneak by Hilinski.
Thud.
Pads crunching together could be heard from upstairs in the press box. Mustipher met Hilinski at the goal line and sealed him off from falling into the end zone. The Nittany Lions had a turnover on downs with Mustipher all but earning the victory for his team.
“Let’s just do our job,” Mustipher said about his team’s mindset in the huddle before the play. “This is what we’re supposed to do. It ain’t nothing flashy, it ain’t nothing we haven’t done before. We’ve got to go and execute. It’s been a big emphasis during the offseason of doing the job at a high level. When we needed to make a stop, we made a stop and that was an example that.”
Mustipher’s leadership on the defensive line spans multiple years
One of the biggest beneficiaries of Mustipher’s tutelage is Maryland transfer defensive end Chop Robinson. Robinson’s ability to sift through the offensive line and wreak havoc is something he attributes to learning from Mustipher. The ability to apply Mustipher’s knowledge with his physical ability has brought an added dimension to his game. Robinson finished with four tackles (two solo) and 0.5 tackles for loss.
“Seeing PJ and how big he is, I looked at it like it’s crazy how good he can move as a defensive tackle,” Robinson said. “So, I was like, ‘Wow. That’s amazing.’ Seeing his physicality and toughness was, I could really take that from his game and put that with mine. I think that I’ve done that and it’s really been helpful for me.”
As a whole, Penn State generated three forced fumbles (two recoveries), had an interception and two turnovers on downs. Many of the plays were a showcase of Mustipher’s speed and strength with the defensive tackle crashing down and collapsing the line as he took on multiple blockers. With the blockers freed up, other defenders made plays, including redshirt senior defensive end Nick Tarburton’s forced fumble. Tarburton had a sack on the play.
Tarburton and Mustipher entered the program in 2018 as true freshmen. Both have had to fight through injuries and have motivated one another to return back to the field.
“I couldn’t say enough about him,” Tarburton said. “That’s my guy. I love going to work with him each and every day. I love going to war with him every Saturday. I can’t say enough about PJ, he’s an awesome dude. ... Bottom line, it’s just playing together. We go through certain games and certain experiences and go to war with each other. We create this bond where you can’t break it. It’s special.”
