Blue White Illustrated

SIBLING REVELRY All-Big Ten defensive tackle P.J. Mustipher relishes his big brother's NFL success, viewing it as a source of inspiration as he prepares for his senior year t's all too easy to have a bad day when you're a defensive tackle. Maybe you're getting pushed around by the offensive line more than you think you should. Maybe you're not stuffing enough running plays or collapsing the pocket on passing plays. Maybe you're just getting physically and mentally worn down by the grind- ing repetition of life in football's trenches. When P.J. Mustipher finds himself giving in to negative feelings, whether in a game or a practice or anywhere, really, he has a way of snapping out of it: He thinks about his brother. Sam Mustipher has seen the grind from the opposite side of the field. As a center at Notre Dame, he started 37 games and was a team captain his senior year. After wrapping up his career with the Fighting Irish in 2018, Mustipher hoped to play in the NFL. He wasn't drafted, though, and ended up signing a free agent contract with Chicago. After being waived and quickly re-signed, he spent his first pro sea- son as a member of the Bears' practice squad, and he began his sec- ond season there, too. But in week six of the 2020 campaign, he was called up to the active roster. By week eight, he was the Bears' starting center, and he ended up making seven starts for a team that reached the playoffs. For P.J., looking on from afar at Penn State, Sam's success evoked more than just brotherly admiration. It was also a testament to his approach to the game, and to life in general. "I love him with all my heart," P.J. said. "He's living out his dream. … He started at center for the Bears and wasn't drafted. Just to see him continue to work every day when things weren't going his way [was inspiring]. He never threw in that white towel. He never quit, he just went harder. So for me, I can't ever throw in that white | I FAST FACTS LETTERMEN RETURNING 5 (Hakeem Beamon, Fred Hansard, Adisa Isaac, P.J. Mustipher, Nick Tarburton) LETTERMEN LOST 5 (Judge Culpepper, Odafe Oweh, Antonio Shelton, Shane Simmons, Shaka Toney) STARTERS RETURNING 1 (Mustipher) STARTERS LOST 3 (Oweh, Shelton, Toney) OTHERS WITH STARTING EXPERIENCE 1 (Hansard, 1 career start) WHAT THEY'RE SAYING COACHING STAFF "You'd like to see [Isaac and Arnold Ebiketie], come next season, be in the mid- to high 250s so that they can play the complete season over 250 pounds. Both of them have a history of los- ing weight as the season goes on." James Franklin // "I don't know if we could have gotten, from a per- sonality standpoint, from a pro- duction standpoint, any better transfers than those two coming in here [Arnold Ebiketie and Derrick Tangelo]." John Scott Jr. PRESEASON MAGS "The defen- sive end position is one of the team's bigger concerns, with little proven depth behind Ebiketie and Adisa Isaac." Athlon // "You won't find anybody ranking them this way, but don't be shocked when P.J. Mustipher and Hakeem Bea- mon end up as the two best interior defensive linemen in the confer- ence." Lindy's S P O T L I G H T D E F E N S I V E L I N E M E N >>

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