Penn State linebacker Mauti a leader and cheerleader

STATE COLLEGE - Rich Mauti says his son would rather not have to be this vocal, but he just needed to do it.

Pat Mauti says his brother, who likes to keep to himself, had to show the world what Penn State football was actually about.

Freshman Kyle Carter says his role model just has something special in him.

So what does Mike Mauti himself have to say about his vocal support of Penn State?

"This is a university that I've cared about and put my life into for the past 4 years,'' he said. "Anybody who puts that much time and effort into something and you don't love what you're doing, you don't have a passion about what you're doing, then it ain't worth doing it."

So, there you have it. The redshirt senior linebacker, an indubitable leader of this 2012 band of Nittany Lions, hasn't concealed his emotions since the NCAA hammered the program with sanctions in July in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal.

At the Big Ten Media Days, he wasn't a happy camper. Then, at a gathering of about 30 players declaring they'd stay with the program, Mauti stood at the forefront of the group with roommate Michael Zordich, arms folded, showing the world what he thinks Penn State is.

"I just think his inner commitment is a strong position for him," Rich, a former Penn State and NFL wide receiver, said of his son. "He feels like he's gotta do whatever he can to protect that. He not only wanted to protect his career and what they do at Penn State, but his teammates."

No. 42 already was very well-liked by Penn State's student body and fanhood before the events of this summer. Having missed all of Big Ten play last season with a torn ACL after being a preseason All-Big Ten first-team selection, Mauti, like the rest of his teammates, is quite ready for Saturday's opener at Beaver Stadium against Ohio.

The long-haired linebacker seems to have become a player his teammates can rally around.

One might say it's just Mauti being Mauti.

"I really think that's just him," said Carter, the redshirt freshman tight end. "He just has that in him. It's something special. It's really something special. And we all look up to him."

Pat Mauti, who was a wide receiver at Penn State, says his little brother was never the best speaker in interviews when he was a freshman.

Now, Pat says, Mike is someone people want to interview.

"It's neat to watch him mature," Pat says.

The Mauti football tradition is also palpable. Rich said that if Mike were going to play linebacker in college, it was going to be at Penn State, end of story.

"And that came from the people before him," Rich says. "The respect that he had for me playing there and Pat playing there. He's always had passion . . . he's always understood that you have to be passionate to be good at anything you do. So I think all of that came together for him out there, and again, he made the commitment to be there no matter what."

First-year head coach Bill O'Brien has praised his senior class often this summer.

Center Matt Stankiewitch, a member, weighed in on his fellow upperclassman as well.

"He has a lot of pride," Stankiewitch said. "His dad played here. He has friends that played here. His brother played here. He has a lot of pride for Penn State, and he shows that. It's obvious. It's not very hard for him to lead, because he has so much pride for Penn State and so much ability to lead. He doesn't have to force anything, and that's his personality."

As Penn State's season opener dawns, expect uproars a few octaves higher than the rest when Mauti makes a play.

But don't be expecting him to think he's a hero for helping to lead Penn State through its roughest time.

"You kind of see people's true colors when this kind of hits the fan," Mauti says.

"This is just what needed to be done."

PENN STATE AT A GLANCE

Coach: Bill O'Brien (0-0, first season at Penn State).

Last year: 9-4, 6-2 in Big Ten.

On the web: www.gopsusports.com.

Ticket info: 1-800-648-8269 (1-800-NITTANY).

Worth watching: Head coach Bill O'Brien's interactions on the sideline should be interesting. It seems natural to expect O'Brien to be fired up, as his passionate personality and his sideline skirmish with Patriots quarterback Tom Brady would suggest, but there's no real way of knowing what he'll be like until the game. After a few seasons of Joe Paterno flopping back and forth between the press box and the sideline for games, Penn State fans should welcome a new sideline presence.

Great unknown: What is the offense going to do? Just how different will it be than in years past? The offensive-minded O'Brien is implementing NFL schemes into his playbook. All summer, players have noted the complexity of the playbook and the new vernacular of it. With the transfers of running back Silas Redd and wide receiver Justin Brown, is the offense capable of scoring more than 20 points a game?

It all comes down to: Health. Having lost so many players this offseason, Penn State needs all the depth it can get. Only a few positions have strong backup options - the secondary, wide receivers and offensive line are not included among them. If Penn State can avoid the injury bug, eight wins is not out of the realm of possibility. But in football, injuries happen.

Circle the dates: Of course, the season opener on Saturday in Beaver Stadium against Ohio could be one of the most memorable games ever for Penn State simply because of everything that has happened to the beleaguered program. There is a "Blueout" scheduled for the Sept. 22 home game against Temple to support victims of child abuse, like the one on Nov. 12, 2011, against Nebraska. The Lions' Big Ten opener at Illinois on Sept. 29 should be interesting after the Illini sent coaches to State College this summer following the NCAA's sanctions. The usual "Whiteout" is the only night game at home, a 6 p.m. clash with No. 18 Ohio State on Oct. 27. Finally, expect Beaver Stadium to be incredibly heavy with emotion on Nov. 24, the Lions' season finale against No. 12 Wisconsin.

Number crunching: Because the NCAA vacated Nittany Lion wins from 1998-2011, Penn State has not "won" a game since 1997, when Mike McQueary was the quarterback. It was a 35-10 victory over Wisconsin on Nov. 22, 1997.

Prognosis: 7-5. The blows Penn State has taken with transfers, in terms of depth and offensive proficiency, make nine wins fairly out of reach. The Nittany Lions have a few very tough games on the schedule, including Wisconsin and Ohio State at home and Nebraska on the road.