Penn State defensive tackle P.J. Mustipher follows season-best performance with push for more

Before the start of the 2022 season, Penn State head coach James Franklin hit on one of his favorite adages. Expressing a well-worn sentiment at Big Ten Media Days, his hope for the Nittany Lion defensive front was simple. 

“You want to be strong up the middle,” Franklin said.

To boast that strength, however, Penn State would need a few things to go favorably. And Franklin, though optimistic, understood as much in a race against the clock.

At the forefront, fifth-year defensive tackle P.J. Mustipher would need a healthy return from injury. His 2021 campaign ended due to a knee injury at Iowa and, both with and without his presence, the Nittany Lions defensive line proved Mustipher to be a barometer of the unit’s performance.

Missing winter workouts, spring practice, and the most grueling aspects of summer conditioning as a precaution, Mustipher was “back” for preseason camp. “Excited and ready to go,” as Franklin put it in July, was not the same as fully healthy, though. And, five games into the 2022 season, that concept remains true for Mustipher.

However, coming off inarguably his best performance of the campaign against Northwestern on Saturday afternoon at Beaver Stadium, the path back to strength is crystallizing daily for Mustipher.

“I’m getting close. I’m not there yet. There are still some things I want to continue to improve on,” Mustipher told reporters afterward. “But, I’m getting there. I’m getting there.”

P.J. Mustipher’s progress

Against the Wildcats, that took shape for Mustipher in the form of a team-high eight tackles. Mustipher added an assisted TFL to his total, and, according to PFF, notched two stops and didn’t miss any of his tackle opportunities. The result was a 77.0 grade for tackling, his highest of the season. 

Pleased with his performance, Mustipher put the effort into context. Another step in a process that started at ground zero following his injury, it doesn’t represent an endpoint for him this season.

“It’s one of my better games,” he said. “I’m just continuing to get better and it’s starting to show up on the field on Saturdays. It’s a day-by-day thing.”

Concurrent with Mustipher’s steady improvement has been the bolstering of Penn State’s strengths surrounding him. 

Nick Tarburton put together his best career performance against the Wildcats. Hakeem Beamon made key plays in critical moments. Coziah Izzard returned to the lineup following a four-game absence to start the season. And Adisa Isaac, Chop Robinson, Dani Dennis-Sutton, and Amin Vanover have proven to be more than capable pass-rushing defensive ends. 

Creating an environment in which his progress has worked in step with that of the defensive line, Mustipher doesn’t hesitate to acknowledge the reality of Penn State’s situation in the trenches. 

“I’m extremely proud of the other guys,” Mustipher said. “These are some of the best defensive linemen I’ve played with since I’ve been here, and I’ve played with a lot of good ones. It’s great to see them coming in and how much they’ve matured on and off the field and it’s starting to show up. They’re doing a great job. I love playing with these guys and I’m glad I get the opportunity to line up with them.”

Next steps

Staring at a slate of games to close out the month that will rival any schedule nationally, Mustipher isn’t getting ahead of himself. 

Cautioning that the steps he’s already taken to getting back to his previous playing ability need to continue, Mustipher is confident that they’re very much achievable for him moving forward. 

“I don’t know if I’ll be able to play my best football until the end of the season,” Mustipher said. “And so if I continue to focus on what I gotta focus on during the week, focus on this team, then everything else will take care of itself.”