Mauti's season over; McGloin named co-offensive player of week
Penn State linebacker Michael Mauti will not play in his team's Senior Day game against Wisconsin because of a knee injury; quarterback Matt McGloin was named Big Ten offensive co-player of the week.
Michael Mauti, the heart and soul of the Penn State football team during a turbulent 2012, has played his last down for the Nittany Lions.
Coach Bill O'Brien said Monday via Twitter that the fifth-year senior linebacker will not be able to go in Saturday's season finale against Wisconsin because of a left knee injury.
Mauti suffered the injury midway through the first quarter of Saturday's game against Indiana, going down because of a block into his left knee by Hoosiers running back D'Angelo Roberts.
Mauti currently ranks second on the Nittany Lions with 95 tackles and first in interceptions with three, including a 99-yard return against Illinois.
More importantly, Mauti stepped forward during the summer as the visible and vocal leader of a Penn State team left reeling by the Freeh Report and the resulting NCAA sanctions, both resulting from the Jerry Sandusky child sexual abuse scandal.
"He embodies, in my opinion, what Penn State is all about," O'Brien said after the game Saturday. "He's tough, grind-it-out, smart … he's just a fantastic kid."
In other Penn State news on Monday, quarterback Matt McGloin was named the Big Ten's co-offensive player of the week for his record-setting performance in the 45-22 win over Indiana.
McGloin completed 22 of 32 passes for a career-high 395 yards and four touchdowns against the Hoosiers. He became Penn State's single-season leader with 251 completions and 3,071 passing yards. He increased his career total to 45 touchdown passes, breaking Daryll Clark's all-time record.
--Joe Juliano