Moose Gibson 
As the Pittsburgh Maulers gear up to face off against the New Orleans Breakers on Sunday evening, at 6:30 pm eastern, Kicker Nathan Hierlihy and Punter Matt Mengel are locked in and ready to maul the USFL.
The duo previously played in The Spring League and the Canadian Football League but never were battlements until now.
When asked if having Hierlihy on his side would be a major asset, Mengel answered, “100% it will. Nate and I have been training partners and friends since before Covid started. Every single week we kept each other accountable when it comes to training. I know all of his tendencies when he miss hits a ball and he does with me too. We know what it takes from each other to hit our best kicks and punts. We trust each other fully outside of football,” he continued, “After being around and with Coach Hull over the last few months Nate and I feel very comfortable heading into the season when it comes to our parts in our operations and our relationship with Coach!”
Having someone you know very well can help to make the camaraderie come easy, when asked the same question Hierlihy said, “Absolutely! Commander Hull has everything under control, Matt is like a General and I’m more of a sniper.”
Next up, we talked about goals for attacking the USFL season both personal goals and some team goals as well.
“My first major goal is to set the defense up the best way I can when I’m on the field. I’m the tip of the spear for our defense. If I can deflate an entire offense with field position before our defense even touches the field then I’m doing my job and making my defensive personnel’s jobs way easier for coaching and for fellow teammates!,” Mengel said, “My next major goal is to make sure Nate is set up in the best possible situations with my holding regardless of snaps. My expectation is to go 100% on PAT conversions and Field goals while I’m in control of the holds!”
Hierlihy followed up, “My goal is to be irreplaceable. Kick the ball accurately, high, and far!” He continued, “My personal goal is to play in all the USFL games this season.”
The Maulers special teams group will definitely be one to watch. The camaraderie is unrivaled they both make each other better day in and day out. Even just watching the camp film via the Mauler’s social media you can tell how much these guys push each other to be greater with each snap.
