Penn State’s Mauti stays upbeat

Associated Press

STATE COLLEGE, Pa.

Penn State lost a star linebacker but gained a new assistant coach.

Michael Mauti isn’t sitting still after his season-ending left knee injury. The junior has gone from stall to stall in the locker room and introduced himself as “Coach Mauti.”

Three days after losing Mauti and top cornerback D’Anton Lynn to injuries, the Nittany Lions (3-1) are filling the holes in the lineup and trying to bounce back from an emotional period as they get ready to open Big Ten play Saturday at Indiana.

“A lot of people can be down and cold-hearted ... [Mauti] hasn’t been that way at all,” linebacker Nate Stupar said Tuesday. Mauti has been uplifting, energetic and “very passionate about the ‘Coach Mauti thing.’

“It’s good to see that, really good to see that.”

Coach Joe Paterno’s crew is also heartened by good news on Lynn, who laid face down at midfield for several minutes in the third quarter of Saturday’s 34-6 win over Eastern Michigan. By then, Mauti had already limped off the field in the first quarter.

In a scary scene that silenced the crowd and had teammates kneeling in prayer, Lynn was placed on a backboard and carted off the field. He was released from the hospital a couple hours later after doctors looked at his head, neck and spinal column.

Defensive end Jack Crawford said Tuesday that Lynn initially couldn’t move his arms. Lynn was tested for a concussion Monday, and trainers will continue to monitor him the rest of the week.

If all goes well, Lynn could be cleared to return to practice Thursday. He’s officially listed as “doubtful” on the injury report, though it appears Lynn won’t play this weekend in Bloomington.

It’s also uncertain exactly how long Lynn will be out, but that was the least of Paterno’s concerns this week.

“Lynn is, thank goodness ... his prognosis is not as severe as we were scared to death of,” Paterno said. “The underlying fact is that Lynn is not anywhere near as severe as” feared.

With depth at linebacker and in the secondary, and other seniors to fill the leadership gap, Penn State can seemingly withstand the losses of Mauti and Lynn. Stupar, a senior, will step in for Mauti.

Paterno has several options in the secondary to replace Lynn in the rotation, including Adrian Amos, a freshman off to a promising start. Sophomore safeties Malcolm Willis and Stephen Obeng-Agyapong, who each gained experience during the injury-plagued 2010 season, could also see increased time.