Blue White Illustrated

October 2022

Penn State Sports Magazine

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2 2 O C T O B E R 2 0 2 2 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M granted. And we keep building together as a unit, as well. "After Purdue, we kind of just said, 'Man, the first game is out of the way. Let's keep going.' After that, we just put it behind us and we just kept pushing. We've got [other opponents] coming up, so you've just got to stay locked in." After turning in his highest-rated per- formance of the season at Auburn, Isaac faced a tougher draw on Sept. 24 back at Beaver Stadium. Tangling with Central Michigan to close the nonconference portion of the schedule, he experienced both ends of the spectrum with his postgame Pro Football Focus grade. Credited with 4 pressures, 2 quarter- back hits and 2 hurries, Isaac earned a pass-rush grade of 75.0, a season high. But, in finishing the game without a stop, he scored a season-low 25.6 for his tack- ling performance. Signs Of Progress Mustipher, meanwhile, has been somewhat limited in his statistical and on-field impact through the first month of the season. He got on the board with a tackle at Purdue, was kept off the stat sheet against Ohio, then displayed pro- gressive improvement in showings at Auburn (2 tackles, 0.5 TFL) and Central Michigan (6 tackles). "You could just see some things hap- pening for him," Scott said. "Even in the Ohio game, you could see some things happening. And then you saw some of it manifest itself in that game. I'm excited to watch where he's trending." Likewise, Scott said that he expects Isaac's reacclimation process to be grad- ual. "I feel like over the first few games, he's gotten better and better and bet- ter each game," Scott said. "You saw in that fourth quarter against Purdue. You were like, 'Oh yeah.' And then you saw it some in the Ohio game, the way he was playing in the backfield. And then you saw a bunch of that against Auburn. I'm excited." Isaac has described himself as being between 80 and 85 percent back. He acknowledges that his feeling of overall physical preparedness wavers at times, and he doesn't attempt to hide the real- ity at hand. He also knows he can help himself by taking care of his body during game week. "It's nothing too strenuous, not like a whole rehab process, but it's just lit- tle maintenance stuff that I stay on top of just to keep my leg strong and good throughout the week and going into the game on the weekend," Isaac said. "That little maintenance stuff keeps me going. "It's just getting your body moving at that same high speed that you were at. You can call it rust. But it's nothing too crazy, it's just the feel of getting that back, playing on the field." Something To Prove With Penn State's defensive line work- ing to reassert itself following the depar- ture of several key performers this past offseason, Isaac and Mustipher know they are crucial to the unit's success. The Nittany Lions have welcomed a pair of high-impact freshmen in defen- sive tackle Zane Durant and defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton, as well as a key transfer in sophomore end Chop Rob- inson. Those players have brightened Penn State's future — and even its present — but because of their experience, Isaac and Mustipher are being counted on to Mustipher opted to return for his fifth year at defensive tackle after suffering a season-ending injury against Iowa last fall. PHOTO BY FRANK HYATT

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