Concussion scare for Mauti
Concussion might be the darkest, scariest word in football.
Mike Mauti managed to find some humor in it Saturday.
Early in the third quarter of Penn State’s defeat of Temple Saturday, Mauti took a vicious hit from someone —Mauti referred to him as “some kid,” — and, “kind of went black for a minute.”
He was led off the field, and they took his helmet away, as Mauti described it, “until I could negotiate back for it.”
Mauti had been playing, perhaps, the game of his career, and it was only to get better later. And although he’s probably not an objective source on the subject, he was sure that he did not have a concussion.
“What does a concussion feel like?” he said. “They say guys can’t remember anything for a half-hour or so before (a concussion), and I could remember everything. My head was clear.”
But team physician Dr. Wayne Sebastianelli had Mauti’s helmet, and was reluctant to give it back.
“They started giving me memory tests, asking me to remember sets of random items,” Mauti said.
Then they asked Mauti to start at 100, subtract seven, and then seven more, and keep going like that.
“I was like, ‘Dude, give me a smaller number,’ ” Mauti said. “I probably couldn’t have done that yesterday. That’s why I’m not a math major. I was starting to get a little aggravated.”
Then Mauti was standing there, seething, and Sebastianelli suddenly gave him his helmet back. He was on the field seconds later.
Mauti was arguably the player of the game, finishing with six unassisted tackles and the interception that led to Penn State’s winning touchdown.
“All we can do,” he said, “is give the ball back to the offense.”
No math required.
NIT-NEWS: Joe Paterno admitted after the game that the quarterback battle between Matt McGloin and Rob Bolden is, “one of the toughest dilemmas I’ve had as a coach.”
Penn State’s players have stayed out of it, at least publicly, saying all the safe, correct, diplomatic things.
Which is why a small burst of candor from WR Derek Moye after Saturday’s game came as a surprise.
“It gets frustrating sometimes,” Moye said. “Just because they throw different types of balls and make different reads.
“Rob, his spirals may be a little bit tighter. Matt tries to throw a little bit harder. I don’t know, maybe just to show everybody he can throw hard.”
Then, it was back to the script.
“We just have to go out there and make plays, no matter who’s back there at quarterback.” …
Sophomore tailback Silas Redd ran for 86 yards Saturday, but surprisingly missed several series late in the game. Brandon Beachum was at tailback for most of the winning touchdown drive, and was ballcarrier on the crucial fourth-down conversion play before Mike Zordich’s plunge to the end zone.
Redd said he was suffering from leg cramps.
“So frustrating, especially in a close game like this,” he said.
Senior offensive tackle Chima Okoli sustained a right leg sprain during the game. He sat out for sizable stretches, during which he was replaced by DeOn’tae Pannell. Tough day for Okoli, who was called for a holding penalty in the third quarter that nullified a 52-yard TD pass from Matt McGloin to Derek Moye. …
Lancaster-Lebanon League alumni Matt Balasavage (Lancaster Catholic) and Cody Booth (Penn Manor) both saw plenty of action at tight end for Temple. Balasavage started as usual.
Neither player caught a pass, but Booth was targeted for one, on the Owls last-minute drive. QB Mike Gerardi found Booth over the middle and he appeared for an instant to make the grab, but was then plastered, on an apparent helmet-to-helmet hit, by Penn State safety Drew Astorino.
The hit separated Booth from the ball, but an illegal-hit penalty gave the Owls the yardage anyway.
“I’m going up there trying to do anything I can,” Astorino said, but added that he had no problem with the call.
“I mean, there were five flags out there,” he said. …
mgross@lnpnews.com