Penn State star defensive tackle injured in first quarter against Iowa

Penn State star defensive tackle PJ Mustipher was injured in the first quarter of the No. 4 Nittany Lions’ critical contest with the No. 3 Iowa Hawkeyes.

On Iowa’s very first drive of the game, Mustipher was injured on a play in which he appeared to tweak his left knee. He walked off the field — albeit, very slowly — with the help of Penn State athletic trainers. Shortly thereafter, Mustipher entered the injury tent after the trainers took a quick look at his left knee. Penn State filled Mustipher’s void with Dvon Ellies and Derrick Tangelo on the defensive line.

While Mustipher was in the injury tent, Penn State athletic trainers were seen speaking with Mustipher’s father on the sidelines. He later exited the tent, but reports say that he was “visibly hobbled” as he paced along the sideline. He did manage to ride a stationary bike, perhaps a promising sign for Penn State faithful, and remains in uniform. Mustipher was seen talking with defensive coordinator Brent Pry while on the bike.

Mustipher, a 6-foot-4, 326-pound defensive tackle from Owings Mills, Maryland, was named an honorable mention All-Big Ten honoree last season. He started all nine games and made 35 tackles (12 solo stops), 1.5 tackles for a loss, a sack and two quarterback hurries. This season, Mustipher was on pace for another highly-productive season in head coach James Franklin’s defense.

Franklin this week sang high praise for Mustipher, saying he’s one of the Nittany Lions’ biggest pieces both on and off the field.

“It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of PJ Mustipher the football player, the student-athlete, the young man and the leader in our program. He does everything right,” Franklin said. “He’s earned the respect of the coaches and his teammates that he has the ability to call others out. He doesn’t do it very often, but there’s times that he does and that’s needed.”

Franklin also noted that the matchup between Mustipher and Iowa center Tyler Linderbaum will be “an interesting matchup and battle throughout the game,” as it features one of the nation’s best defensive linemen against a stellar Iowa offensive line.

Mustipher did not log a statistic before his injury on Saturday. Heading into the Iowa contest, he had 21 total tackles (16 solo stops) and one sack.

“With PJ, it’s really the value of knowing what you’re going to get,” Franlin said of Mustipher. “And I know that sounds simplistic. … We’re going to have to do a great job from a preparation standpoint to put PJ in the best position to be successful.”