The defense helped Penn State avoid a historic loss last week at Temple, and linebacker Michael Mauti led the charge with three tackles for loss and an interception that led to the Lions' game-winning touchdown drive. A fan favorite with a familiar last name -- Mauti's father, Rich, starred as a wide receiver for Penn State -- Mauti is off to a strong start, leading Penn State in total tackles, tackles for loss and passes defended through the first three games.
ESPN.com recently caught up with Mauti.
What has been the biggest difference so far with this year's defense as opposed to last year's?
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Jeff Conner/Icon SMIPenn State forced three turnovers against Temple, including an interception from Michael Mauti.Michael Mauti: First of all, it's the experience. We tried to downplay that last year going into the season, but there's no replacement for experience. And where experience comes is guys having confidence, guys anticipating plays and then finally making things happen -- forcing turnovers and making big plays. What examples have you seen of that experience playing out in games?
MM: Definitely this past weekend at Temple. We played well against Alabama in Week 2, but we didn't force any turnovers, which is something we had been stressing. And then this week at Temple, we forced three turnovers. That was definitely a big step in the right direction for us.
Does playmaking just come with time?
MM: When you're in there and you're thinking about only your responsibilities, you're not necessarily thinking of the big picture, which is getting the ball back. Experience has a lot to do with that, and obviously so does talent level and whenever you do get the opportunity, executing and making sure those things happen.
How surprised were you not to be playing middle linebacker when the season started after practicing there for a while?
MM: It was just unexpected. Yeah, I was a little bit surprised. But wherever I can play and contribute to the defense, that's fine with me. Where I'm at right now, this is the same spot I was at last season, so it's nothing new. In some aspects of our defense, the SAM is kind of like a half linebacker-half strong safety type, so there's a lot more space you're playing in. In the middle, your responsibilities are kind of condensed. It's just more close quarters, more in between the tackles, a little more muddied up in there.
As a unit, how do you feel the cohesion is going so far at linebacker?
MM: I feel it's coming along fine. Every week we're getting better and getting more experience. We're learning from every week and every day at practice. The more experience we get as a unit, the better off we're going to be. We've got to keep going out there, making plays and making things happen.
Do you talk much as linebackers about the tradition of the position at Penn State?
MM: We don't talk about it much. It's not like a patch we wear on our shoulders or something we hold our nose up to every morning. We have the responsibility to uphold that work ethic, and [linebackers] coach [Ron] Vanderlinden, he brings it up but only to demonstrate a point, to say, 'If you want to be as good as some of these guys, this is the level of work that it takes.' He uses that in a good way to show what kind of work it takes to get to that level.
How much attention do you pay to the offense and some of the ups and downs they're going through?
MM: The moment we start worrying about the offense, that's when we slack a little bit. All we can worry about is what the defense is doing, getting that ball back to the offense, getting three-and-outs and executing and making big plays.
How much pride do you take in a win like last Saturday's, where the defense really stepped up?
MM: For us, it's just a step in the right direction. It's still early in the year and we have a lot of football to play yet. We're just going to try and go out every week and do the same thing we did Saturday, and that's execute and fit in our gaps and make big plays.
How good does it feel personally to be healthy out there after last year?
MM: It feels great. You're just not worried about anything. All you worry about is go out and make the plays and help the team win. I spend a lot of time in the training room, just taking care of my body. You can't really do anything about injuries when they happen, but I'm just happy to be healthy right now and flying around.
How good can this defense be this season? And how good can the team be?
MM: For the defense, the sky's the limit. It's just a matter of how good we want to be and how hard we want to work. When we get the opportunities to execute and make big plays, we've just got to do it in big-time situations. And then for the team, we obviously still have some work to do. We've got some work to do on special teams, and we've got to eliminate some mistakes. But once we do that, definitely the sky's the limit for us.
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