One last time Hull prepares for final game at Beaver Stadium
Penn State linebacker Mike Hull runs a drill during spring practice earlier this year in State College. The Canon-McMillan graduate is playing his final home game at Beaver Stadium Saturday against Michigan State.
Mike Hull
Although Mike Hull hasn’t thought much about walking onto the field Saturday at Beaver Stadium for the last time as a Nittany Lion, he has thought about what he perceives as a lack of respect for the Penn State defense.
Before coach James Franklin’s press conference Tuesday, Hull said he is more focused on beating Michigan State, believing that a win in the regular-season finale would finally give the Lions “the respect we have not gotten all year.”
“We just want to leave it all out there on Saturday,” said Hull, who was disturbed by a comment made earlier this month by ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit that Ohio State hadn’t faced a top defense before playing Michigan State.
The Lions, if you recall, took the Buckeyes to double overtime Oct. 25 before falling 31-24 in a game marred by questionable officiating that resulted in 10 Ohio State points. Two weeks later, the Buckeyes beat Michigan State 49-37.
Actually, Hull has reason to feel slighted, considering Penn State’s defense:
• Leads the Football Bowl Subdivision in rushing defense at 81.7 yards per game and 2.53 yards per carry.
• Remains in the top five in the FBS, as well in total defense (third, 267.2 yards per game), scoring defense (fourth, 16.2 points per game) and pass efficiency (third, 98.74).
• Has limited nine teams to less than 100 yards rushing this season.
• Leads the Big Ten in rushing, pass efficiency and third-down conversion defense (.276) and is second in total and scoring defense and fewest first downs allowed.
And Hull has been a major reason for those impressive statistics.
The Canon-McMillan High School graduate was switched to middle linebacker this season and has been effectively quarterbacking the defense all year, earning high praise from his coaches and teammates alike.
“Mike Hull is as good as I’ve ever been around,” Franklin said. “I typically meet with our freshmen once a week, and they’re probably sick of hearing me talk about Mike Hull because it’s not just his physical traits, it’s everything (he is able to do).
“I don’t know if I could find something that I would say in terms of his preparation and his demeanor that I would want more from. It’s how he is in meetings or how he is out at practice; his focus, his attention to detail, his work ethic, how coachable he is.”
His two biggest boosters, however, are his parents, Tom and Donna Hull, and they will be on hand Saturday to support their son. They have not missed a game all season, and even though they will get two bonus opportunities to watch Mike play – in a bowl game and in the Senior Bowl Jan. 24 in Mobile, Ala. – Tom said the season has gone by too fast.
But he and his wife have enjoyed every minute of it, and although Tom remains humble, it’s hard to hide the pride he feels in his son’s accomplishments.
“It’s been tremendous,” Tom said. “Just knowing what went toward it, the back end of it, and the way he prepares for things. I’m glad things are working well for him. He has energy, and he plays with intensity.”
Even though Mike has put up some lofty numbers that have cemented him in the Penn State record books, he is not listed among the semifinalists for the Butkus Award, which is presented to the most outstanding linebacker in college football. The omission has rankled several coaches in the Big Ten, most notably Franklin, whose incredulity has merit.
Hull leads the Big Ten in tackles with 121, averaging 11 tackles per game, and he ranks ninth in the FBS. He has seven double-figure tackle games this year, including a career-high 19 tackles against the Buckeyes, with nine in three other games.
After his 10-tackle performance against Illinois, he moved into ninth place on the all-time Penn State season charts, surpassing, among others, Dan Connor, Paul Posluszny and Dennis Onkotz, and he needs just six tackles against Michigan State to move into seventh place, ahead of Brian Gelzheiser (1994) and Ed O’Neil (1972), one of this father’s former teammates, who each had 126 stops.
In addition, Hull ranks seventh all-time with 275 career tackles, passing Brandon Short, Shane Conlan and John Skorupan. Onkotz is sixth with 287.
“Having a special player at the linebacker position, Mike Hull, I don’t care what the Butkus people think, I can’t imagine there is a better linebacker in the country right now than him,” Franklin said two weeks ago.
Perhaps, however, even more important than the numbers is the loyalty Mike has shown to the Penn State football program during unprecedented sanctions following the conviction of former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky on child sexual abuse charges.
Mike is among a special class of seniors that was instrumental in maintaining stability in the football program and leading the Nittany Lions to a 30-17 record the past four years, posting three winning seasons and the opportunity for a fourth.
“I think all the classes were affected by this atrocity, the coaching changes, the loss of scholarships,” Tom said. “Without the loss of scholarships, I think they would have been a factor in the national picture. Playing well and playing with pride take you a long way.”
Mike has no regrets about remaining at Penn State, and not once has he thought about what might have been had he transferred. Instead, he chose to mentor the younger players, impressing upon them to work hard and “never lose passion for the game.”
Mike said it really hasn’t hit him yet that he will be playing in his last home game, and it probably won’t until he’s on the field and with his family.
But his dad, who played linebacker at Penn State for three seasons in the early 1970s, knows what it’s like to walk onto the field for the last time as a player at Beaver Stadium.
“It’s bittersweet. It’s the last time you play there,” Tom said. “We would play Pitt, so we knew we had our biggest rivalry. Of course, you’re looking forward to new phases of your life. You’re going through different emotions.”
Mike said the Lions just need to embrace the moment.
“I think the season finale is special,” Mike said. “The last two years, there were no other (post-season) games. The last two years we were big underdogs.”
This year is different in one respect. The NCAA relaxed the sanctions, and the Lions became bowl eligible Nov. 15 following a 30-13 win against Temple.
One thing hasn’t changed, though: The Lions once again are underdogs.
But they beat the odds last year, defeating Wisconsin 31-24 at Camp Randall Stadium, and in 2012, they surprised the Badgers with a 24-21 overtime victory.
“It definitely will be a fun atmosphere,” Mike said.