Penn State faces tall task in replacing PJ Mustipher’s play, leadership on defensive line

STATE COLLEGE — PJ Mustipher’s physical absence along the Penn State defensive line will be hard to miss. After all, the senior defensive tackle stands 6-foot-4 and weighs in at 326 pounds, all while retaining the nimble athleticism of a smaller man. Mustipher can take up space for his fellow defensive linemen, or he can make plays himself.

Through the first five weeks of the season, Mustipher was showcasing himself in the trenches. But in the sixth game of the year at Iowa, Mustipher suffered a season-ending injury that left a large vacancy along the interior.

But in losing Mustipher, the player, Penn State also loses something more intangible. Mustipher, a team captain, was a vocal and emotional leader, and he was the elder statesman in a front seven that featured a number of new pieces this season. So entering the back half of the season, Penn State faces a significant challenge in weathering Mustipher’s loss.

“Losing a guy like PJ, it’s a very big loss,” defensive tackle Derrick Tangelo said earlier this week. “He’s a big leader in our room. He’s a very experienced veteran. But I feel like as a D-line, I feel like the training that we put in, guys are ready to step up. PJ set a great example that the guys can follow, so I know that they’re going to try their best to make him proud in the way they play and the way they practice.”

Mustipher might be absent from the field, but the 21-year-old is still making his presence felt. After his injury against Iowa on the fifth play of the game, Mustipher remained on the sideline after he was helped off the field. He returned to the sideline after halftime on crutches and remained there for the rest of the game.

Coach James Franklin said Mustipher has been “whipping around” practice and meetings at the team facility on a scooter. He’s remained engaged, and with a number of younger players at his position set to take on larger roles, Mustipher can help guide them along.

“I expect PJ still to be totally invested and supportive, which I’ve seen,” Franklin said Tuesday. “He’s been phenomenal.”

Tangelo, the Duke transfer in his fifth year of college football, figures to see the biggest uptick in work in Mustipher’s absence. He’s started all six games this season and recorded 11 tackles with two tackles for loss. One of Tangelo’s most significant highlights came when he tackled Auburn running back Jarquez Hunter downfield in Penn State’s 28-20 win last month.

Tangelo referred to himself as “kind of a grandpa here in the college football world,” and he said he likes to lead by example. And there’s no doubt that the young defensive tackles will be looking to Tangelo on the field and Mustipher on the sideline for guidance at various points down the stretch.

Redshirt sophomore Dvon Ellies appears to be the next man up — though he did leave and return at Iowa because of an injury — while redshirt freshman Coziah Izzard has seen some expanded playing time. Redshirt freshman Amin Vanover’s role could increase, along with sophomore Jordan van den Berg, a transfer from Iowa Western Community College. Plus, redshirt senior Fred Hansard remains in the mix.

“It’s all about consistency,” Franklin said. “I think you heard me say that before. All these guys have the talent and the ability to do it, but there is a difference between doing it three out of 10 plays compared to eight or nine out of 10 plays. That’s the expectation and standard we need. We need to be eight, nine, 10 out of 10 in terms of their technique, fundamentals, and assignments.”

Penn State can mix and match in an attempt to replace Mustipher’s production on the field, but the Nittany Lions face an interesting challenge in replacing his leadership. But Franklin pointed to some of the veterans on the defense who can help alleviate that loss.

Safeties Jaquan Brisker and Jonathan Sutherland are team captains, while defensive end/linebacker Jesse Luketa was a captain last season. Cornerback Tariq Castro-Fields is in his fifth year in the program, along with linebacker Ellis Brooks. Even relative newcomers like defensive end Arnold Ebiketie know they can use their voice on and off the field.

“Obviously, two things: Those guys need to bring a little bit more of that to the table and then we need other guys that maybe weren’t providing that type of role on the team to take a little bit as well,” Franklin said. “Not going to be one guy that’s going to replace them. We need 5 or 6% to Jesse, 10% to Ellis, so on and so forth, to make up for what we lost with PJ on the field.”

Penn State picked its way through the first five weeks of the season without too many key injuries or setbacks. Everything arrived at once in Iowa with the Nittany Lions’ first loss of the season and the injuries to Mustipher and quarterback Sean Clifford, who’s status for Saturday’s game against Illinois remains uncertain.

This likely won’t be the first adversity that Penn State faces down the stretch with games against No. 5 Ohio State, No. 6 Michigan and No. 9 Michigan State remaining on the schedule. Mustipher is a player who could have helped in all of those games, but the Nittany Lions will have manage without his play and without his voice on the field.

“I feel like at the start of the year, we all set out to be the best D-line we could possibly be,” Tangelo said. “So I feel like from the veterans down to the young guys, we all locked in and said every day, we’re going to come in, we’re going to try our best to achieve that goal. So I feel like PJ set off a good example, and now that he’s not here, I feel like the young guys are going to follow that example, rise to the players that they know they can be.”