Michael Mauti

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - They all thought it was a great idea, but nobody seemed to know how it came about - even after the game. "Apparently the coaching staff put that together," safety Jake Fagnano said. "I think it was [the] players' idea," linebackers coach Ron Vanderlinden said. "I think a group of them approached Coach [Bill] O'Brien about it. " "Honestly?" center Matt Stankiewitch said. "I couldn't tell you. " But when the Nittany Lions entered the locker room Saturday afternoon, they noticed something different about their helmets: A large, blue decal of the number 42 took up most of the left side.

Penn State coach Bill O'Brien confirmed Monday what a lot of people feared when they saw Michael Mauti being carted off the field against Indiana - that the linebacker has played for the last time as a Nittany Lion. O'Brien ruled Mauti out of Saturday's season finale against Wisconsin at Beaver Stadium because of a left knee injury. Mauti, considered the heart and soul of Penn State's football team, will join his teammates for introductions before their final game on Senior Day but will watch from the sideline on crutches.

He will be etched in Nittany Lions folklore as the senior leader who rallied a directionless team and disgruntled fan base. "When the NCAA sanctions were announced, we were all sitting around watching the TV and like, 'OK, now what?' " safety Jake Fagnano recalled. "And then Mike Mauti stood up. He clapped his hands and was like, 'OK, guys, let's go.' " Mauti is one of the key faces of this 2012 Penn State team, which has battled through criticism and adversity again and again.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Matt McGloin went Hollywood. Michael Mauti went home to Louisiana. Miles from the campus they called home for five years, the two Penn State stars have taken different routes to prepare for their shots at the NFL. After helping to lead the Nittany Lions to a surprising 8-4 season, they began to focus on the next level in their own way. "The weather is great," McGloin, a Scranton native, joked about training in Los Angeles....

For the second time in his career at Penn State, Michael Mauti is hurting as he watches spring practice from the sideline. The pain is not coming from the torn ACL in his left knee, which he said is coming along fine and should be repaired in time for the start of preseason camp in August, but rather from his not being able to join his teammates for contact on the practice field. "I don't really like watching from the sidelines," Mauti said. But the senior linebacker, an all-American candidate at his position if he's healthy, is fully involved in every workout and drill as he learns the new schemes being installed by defensive coordinator Ted Roof, who was brought in by first-year head coach Bill O'Brien.

Northwestern's Pat Fitzgerald often cast his eyes to the east during the summer to see how Penn State coaches and players handled life after the NCAA sanctions, trying to keep the team together as programs from everywhere sought to entice some Nittany Lions to transfer. The Wildcats coach was impressed with how the team handled all the turmoil, and he'll get to see the results close-up when his 24th-ranked team goes into Beaver Stadium on Saturday for an important Big Ten game. "Their kids are playing with an attitude," Fitzgerald said Monday during his weekly press conference in Evanston, Ill. "They're playing for each other.

PENN STATE defensive end Deion Barnes was named the Big Ten's co-freshman of the week. Barnes, a redshirt freshman from Northeast High, had five tackles and his third sack of the season in the Nittany Lions' win over Navy. Barnes also forced his second fumble of the season. Barnes is tied for second in the conference in sacks and tied for the top spot in forced fumbles with two. He shares the award with Indiana quarterback Nate Sudfeld. Lions senior linebacker Michael Mauti was named Big Ten defensive player of the week after recording 12 tackles and his first sack of the season against Navy.

IN THE FOURTH round of the NFL draft Saturday, the picks at Nos. 110 and 116 could have been announced as Hyped Philly Guy and Unhyped Philly Guy. Former Malvern Prep and Syracuse quarterback Ryan Nassib, the first of those players to be tabbed (by the New York Giants), long has maintained a national profile and even appeared in individual promos, accompanied by The Heavy's "How You Like Me Now?" that were part of the televised coverage. Six slots later, the Arizona Cardinals selected a relative unknown in Earl Watford, a guard from Simon Gratz and James Madison University.

The prevailing thought at the start of Penn State's football season was that coach Joe Paterno would have a firm No. 1 quarterback in place by the start of the Big Ten schedule. Well, with the Nittany Lions' conference opener Saturday at Indiana, there is absolutely no indication that Paterno and his staff have settled on someone calling the signals full-time. However, in talking to both quarterbacks, Rob Bolden and Matt McGloin, after Saturday's 34-6 victory over Eastern Michigan at Beaver Stadium, you get the feeling the drama about who is No. 1 has diminished somewhat.

Penn State defensive coordinator Ted Roof has resigned after one season to take the same job at Georgia Tech. Coach Bill O'Brien announced Wednesday that secondary coach John Butler will replace Roof. Butler, a graduate of La Salle High, also worked with the Nittany Lions' special teams and was instrumental in sophomore kicker Sam Ficken's overcoming a horrendous start to make his last 10 field-goal attempts. Roof played linebacker for Georgia Tech from 1982 through 1985, earning all-ACC honors as a senior.

Penn State linebackers Gerald Hodges and Michael Mauti have signed contracts with Minnesota, the Vikings said Tuesday. Hodges, a Paulsboro graduate who will play one of the outside spots, was picked in the fourth round. Mauti, whose position is in the middle, was a seventh-round selection. Also signing was defensive tackle Everett Dawkins, a seventh-round pick out of Florida State. Muncie dies. Chuck Muncie, 60, a Pro Bowl running back with both the New Orleans Saints and San Diego Chargers, died of heart failure Monday at his Los Angeles-area home.

Penn State linebackers Gerald Hodges and Michael Mauti signed contracts with Minnesota, the Vikings said Tuesday. Hodges, a Paulsboro graduate who will play one of the outside spots, was taken in the fourth round. Mauti, who plays in the middle, was a seventh-round pick. Chuck Muncie , 60, a Pro Bowl running back with both the New Orleans Saints and San Diego Chargers, died of heart failure Monday at his Los Angeles-area home. Muncie played 41/2 seasons in New Orleans before being traded in 1980 to San Diego, where he finished his nine-year NFL career.

IN THE FOURTH round of the NFL draft Saturday, the picks at Nos. 110 and 116 could have been announced as Hyped Philly Guy and Unhyped Philly Guy. Former Malvern Prep and Syracuse quarterback Ryan Nassib, the first of those players to be tabbed (by the New York Giants), long has maintained a national profile and even appeared in individual promos, accompanied by The Heavy's "How You Like Me Now?" that were part of the televised coverage. Six slots later, the Arizona Cardinals selected a relative unknown in Earl Watford, a guard from Simon Gratz and James Madison University.

The Minnesota Vikings plucked a pair of Penn State linebackers in the fourth and seventh rounds of the NFL draft on Saturday. Gerald Hodges was taken by the Vikings in the fourth round with the 120th overall pick, and Michael Mauti was chosen in the seventh round with the 213th pick. Earl Watford, a graduate of Simon Gratz and a guard at James Madison University, was selected in the fourth round with the No. 116 overall pick by the Arizona Cardinals. Florida State outside linebacker Nick Moody, who starred as a defensive back at Roman Catholic, was tabbed in the sixth round, No. 180 overall, by the San Francisco 49ers.

Note: stats listed are from 2012. Key departures Michael Mauti, LB: 95 tackles, four tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, three interceptions: The Big Ten's Linebacker of the Year was the emotional leader of Penn State's upstart squad last season, its first under coach Bill O'Brien. Now he's off to see whether his NFL dreams can be realized. Matt McGloin, QB: 3,266 passing yards, 24 TD, five INTs, five rushing TDs: After struggling for most of his career as a Nittany Lion, the Scranton native prospered under O'Brien, setting Penn State records for passing touchdowns and completions (270)

Penn State's Mike Hull knows the drill, and knows about the expectations. When you are the next promising and talented linebacker on a team known as "Linebacker U.," you can't do anything but embrace the tradition. The 6-foot, 226-pound Hull will be a redshirt junior in the fall. He is expected to take over one of the outside linebacker posts manned last year by all-Big Ten players Michael Mauti and Gerald Hodges, who followed current NFL stars NaVorro Bowman and Sean Lee, who followed . . . well, you get the idea.

After watching Matt McGloin learn his complicated pro-style offense and go on to shatter nine school passing records, Penn State coach Bill O'Brien will try to identify a replacement at quarterback when the Nittany Lions begin spring practice Monday. The Lions, who posted an 8-4 record (6-2 Big Ten) in O'Brien's rookie season, will have 15 practices leading up to the annual Blue-White Game on April 20 at Beaver Stadium. McGloin set a Penn State record last season with 3,266 passing yards, and tied another mark with 24 touchdown passes.

The NFL's scouting combine begins Wednesday in Indianapolis with 332 NFL draft prospects convening for a meat market of medical tests, psychological tests, interviews with coaches and evaluators, interviews with reporters, and on-field testing. The first group of players arrives Wednesday, with a rotating schedule that concludes on Tuesday. The on-field testing occurs Saturday through Tuesday and includes notable drills such as the 40-yard dash. This draft lacks some of the household names seen in previous drafts, specifically because of the uncertainty at quarterback.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Matt McGloin went Hollywood. Michael Mauti went home to Louisiana. Miles from the campus they called home for five years, the two Penn State stars have taken different routes to prepare for their shots at the NFL. After helping to lead the Nittany Lions to a surprising 8-4 season, they began to focus on the next level in their own way. "The weather is great," McGloin, a Scranton native, joked about training in Los Angeles....

Penn State defensive coordinator Ted Roof has resigned after one season to take the same job at Georgia Tech. Coach Bill O'Brien announced Wednesday that secondary coach John Butler will replace Roof. Butler, a graduate of La Salle High, also worked with the Nittany Lions' special teams and was instrumental in sophomore kicker Sam Ficken's overcoming a horrendous start to make his last 10 field-goal attempts. Roof played linebacker for Georgia Tech from 1982 through 1985, earning all-ACC honors as a senior.