It was a bittersweet couple of days for Penn State defensive tackle PJ Mustipher. Days after leaving Penn State’s first loss of the season with an injury on the opening drive of the game, it was confirmed Mustipher’s season has come to an abrupt end due to the injury. On the same day, Mustipher was named a semifinalist for a national college football award.
The Rotary Lombardi Award semifinalists were announced by the Rotary Club of Houston on Wednesday. Among the 12 semi-finalists for the award was Penn State’s Mustipher.
The Lombardi Award is presented to the nation’s top lineman and can go to either an offensive lineman or defensive lineman. Linebackers and tight ends may also be eligible for the award.
Mustipher may have a difficult time reaching the finalist stage for the Lombardi Award considering his season is now over. Mustipher is still officially in the running for now to become the third player in Penn State’s program history to lay claim to the Lombardi Award. Previous winners from Penn State include Bruce Clark in 1978 and Carl Nassib in 2015.