Mustipher’s loss poses big challenge for Penn State’s defense

Sean Clifford’s unspecified injury and his uncertain availability for this week and beyond has overshadowed another blow to Penn State.

PJ Mustipher, the heart and soul of the defense, suffered a season-ending knee injury two weeks ago in a 23-20 loss at Iowa. He was playing at an All-Big Ten level and is a primary reason why the Nittany Lions rank among the national leaders in several categories.

Mustipher’s value goes well beyond his numbers, which aren’t splashy. Like all nose tackles, he’s had the thankless job of taking on two blockers on many plays and clogging gaps so that his teammates can make tackles.

Just as significantly, he has the ear and respect of everyone inside the Penn State locker room.

His voice carries a lot of weight.

“He’s one of the selfless guys on the team,” fellow defensive tackle Derrick Tangelo said. “He really puts the team above himself all the time and it just shows. I can give you countless examples, but that’s the PJ thing to do.

“He’s always locked in. He always wants the team to do the best it can.”

Mustipher was the only returning starter on the defensive line after ends Odafe Oweh and Shaka Toney were taken in the NFL draft and tackle Antonio Shelton transferred to Florida. Mustipher gladly accepted the responsibility of leading the defensive line. And he added weight because, he said, he wanted to be better against the run.

Mustipher opened the season by making seven tackles, one in the backfield, in a 16-10 win at Wisconsin.

“I thought he was a dominant player,” defensive line coach John Scott Jr. said after Mustipher’s performance against the Badgers. “If you could see how hard PJ worked this summer with just putting in those extra hours, with just working on the finer details of his craft, it all manifested itself on Saturday.”

This was going to be a big season for the 6-4, 326-pound Mustipher, a senior who wanted to help Penn State win a Big Ten title and improve his draft stock. Now it’s over.

“It sucks seeing a guy like PJ go down,” defensive end Jesse Luketa said Wednesday. “I know how much he’s invested. I know his leadership. It’s just a thrill being able to play beside him.”

Younger tackles like Dvon Ellies, Coziah Izzard, Amin Vanover and Jordan van den Berg will try to fill the void on the field. Matching Mustipher’s dependability will be difficult.

The Lions have other veterans on defense like Ellis Brooks, Jaquan Brisker, Tariq CastroFields and Luketa, but none wields the gravitas that Mustipher has.

“He’s earned the respect of the coaches and his teammates,” head coach James Franklin said. “He has the ability to call others out. He doesn’t do it very often, but there are times that he does and it’s needed.”

Mustipher, of course, isn’t sulking or pouting about his injury. He’s getting around on a motorized cart and attending practices and meetings to offer his support and expertise to his teammates.

“He’s at everything,” Franklin said. “I just saw him in the training room. He was on the bike and looked great with a huge smile on his face. I expect PJ still to be totally invested and supportive, which I’ve seen. He’s been phenomenal.”