He was raised in a Christian household in his native country of Liberia, far east, of course, from where he lives now. The cold regimen and habits of Western culture have sometimes made Tamba Hali wonder how most people co-exist in the States.

He is a long way, now, from a place he once called home.

But his convictions have never escaped him.

In many ways the traits are subtle things to most of us -- the reverence for his fellow man, the way he appreciates and always says thank you, his modest spirit -- and these qualities instilled in Hali as a child have brought him to a place where most are unfamiliar.

"There was so much respect growing up," Hali said. "It was a shock how many people are disrespectful towards women and other things on this side."

There are few gray areas, if any, about the Nittany Lions senior defensive lineman. When you talk to him, there is never an assumption as to what he is feeling or thinking or if he'll speak anything other than the truth.

If being blunt was a spot on a football field, he would live there, quite like he has lived in the backfields of opposing teams this season.

He is fresh off his best statistical performance as a Lion. He recorded four sacks in the Lions' 35-14 victory against Wisconsin on Saturday. He would prefer not to dwell on personal accomplishments, though. When asked repeatedly if he was proud of his stellar day, Hali deflected the praise onto his teammates.

"I was taught to be humble," Hali said. "Anything you get, be humble about it. Sometimes you have a right to celebrate and do something, but that's just not me."

His 11 sacks on the season lead the Big Ten Conference. When the season began, Hali wouldn't have thought that number would be what it is now. After an encouraging junior season at defensive end, following his switch from defensive tackle, other teams started to notice his explosiveness at end.

That's when he started to see double teams for the first time in his career. He didn't like it.

"In the beginning of the year I was frustrated," Hali said. "I realized I had to do more than just occupy two guys."

At Penn State's media day in the summer, the Lions defensive linemen, Hali included, all agreed they failed to get to the quarterback enough last season.

"I don't like quarterbacks," Hali said. "They make our job tougher. As many times as we can get there, it is going to make our job easier."

So instead of complaining when more than one guy would block him, he simply adapted. He began to view the attention as a sign of respect for his skill. He made adjustments and, eventually, he became virtually unstoppable to block alone.

At his current stage, as senior cornerback Alan Zemaitis said, "nobody can block that dude."

Off the field, Hali is highly respected by his teammates, not just because he respects them, but because he genuinely cares about their well-being.

"The way th at he expresses himself -- he is the most loyal guy that I have ever met in my entire life," Zemaitis said.

Hali's recent success on the football field has afforded him some national attention, as well as the usual recognition around campus.

"People see me on campus and they say, Hi,' " Hali said. "But I don't think too much has changed."

The changes he's made to his game as the season has progressed has all but ensured him a chance in the NFL next year. He still has two more games before he can focus on that.

He prides himself on not dwelling on recent feats, not even four sacks in a game.

"It's satisfying," Hali said about that. "But it's not as satisfying as getting the next one."