September 30, 2012 at 1:02 PM
Mauti named National Defensive Player of the Week
Linebacker Michael Mauti earned Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week honors on Sunday for his big performance in the Nittany Lions' dominating 35-7 win over Illinois on Saturday.
Mauti collected six tackles, 0.5 sacks, forced a fumble and had a pair of interceptions in the victory while the Lions held Illinois to just 74 rushing yards. He returned his first pick a school-record 99 yards to the Illinois 1-yard line at the end of the first half, and his second interception led to a Penn State touchdown in the third quarter.
Mauti is tied for fourth in the Big Ten in tackles (48) and interceptions (2) and is also tied for first in the conference with two forced fumbles.