He received more attention for his facial hair last week than he did for his play.

After Josh Hull's performance Saturday, however, that may no longer remain the case.

He recorded a career-high 13 tackles in a win over Temple for his second straight game with more than 10 tackles.

The middle linebacker also came close to recording another career first in the second quarter, when he bobbled a potential interception thrown by Vaughn Charlton with nothing but daylight in front of him.

Hull, who recorded a pick in Penn State's previous game against Syracuse but has never scored a touchdown, was able to put the missed opportunity behind him.

"I gotta learn to catch the ball with two hands," Hull joked. "That's what happened trying to be a hotshot and catching it with one hand."

That lighthearted approach has helped the former walk-on find success at Penn State.

Hull, who last week had said he is just trying to have fun in his senior year by growing his now-infamous mustache, is second on the team in tackles with 28, four behind captain and fellow linebacker Sean Lee. "It's been pretty special watching somebody coming from your own school and program to go in and play like that," said Martin Tobias, Hull's coach at Penns Valley High School. "I think each year he's improved and gotten better, and he continues to work hard."

Tobias said Hull graduated from Penns Valley in 2005 without ever receiving a single scholarship offer from any level. William & Mary, Bucknell and Delaware all showed interest, the coach said, but none pulled the trigger.

Playing for a Class AA school that won just four games his senior season kept Hull out of the spotlight, something that can't be said anymore for the starting middle linebacker at "Linebacker U," where Hull ultimately decided to take his chances at.

"I wasn't sure where he would fit in when he first got on campus," Tobias sad. "I think it was after his first year, [linebacker] coach [Ron] Vanderlinden told him before he left he'd be a starter at Penn State."

That distinction came sooner than expected last season, since Lee tore the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee during a spring practice.

Thrust into the role of starter, Hull struggled through the season's first five games, recording just 21 total tackles and was faced with much criticism from fans.

"Being a middle linebacker at 'Linebacker U,' the most recognized position in the entire Penn State football program, you're gonna get a lot of criticism and scrutiny if you're not performing to the level people expect," Tobias said. "But he used it as motivation to continue to work hard and improve."

And Hull did just that, breaking out in the sixth game of the 2008 season against Purdue with 11 solo tackles en route to finishing the season with 75 total tackles, the second-most on the team.

Now, entrenched in the middle, Hull has himself a new home, one that may be all the more magnified with the statuses of outside linebackers Lee and Navorro Bowman up in the air for the Lions' primetime clash with a Big Ten opponent this Saturday.

His community back in Millheim, Pa., meanwhile, will continue to marvel at his production.

"Whenever he has a really nice game like he's been having, people are quick to point that out," Tobias said. "They're really pleased and happy for him and excited for him that he's having the success he has had, and most would agree he deserves it.

"They appreciate all that he has done and achieved."

Even if that 'stache won't go away.

"I think he looks much better without it," Tobias laughed. "I think it's time to shave, but that's his choice."