FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. —Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter’s status remains in question as Thursday’s Orange Bowl against Notre Dame nears. Carter was injured in the second quarter of the Nittany Lions’ 31-14 win over Boise State in last week’s Fiesta Bowl, and was not present for a practice viewing session open to the media on Monday.
Following that practice, Carter posted a Star Wars clip to social media that appeared to signal a potential return. But defensive coordinator Tom Allen wasn’t ready to rule Carter active when he addressed the media upon arrival to Florida on Tuesday.
“He’s doing everything he can do. I know Coach will address that, I’m sure, when he speaks tomorrow,” Allen said. “But, yeah, he’s doing everything he can do.”
Carter leads Penn State with 22 tackles for loss and 11 sacks, and was named this season’s Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. A consensus All-American and projected top-10 NFL Draft pick, Carter may be the most talented overall player remaining in the College Football Playoff. His impact is undeniable.
“Anytime you got a guy that is kind of like an eraser, that’s pretty special. You kind of plug him into places, you put him in different positions. It’s fun to be able to try to create different ways to create issues for the offense. But sometimes the simplest thing to do is just let him go rush the quarterback. Don’t make it too complicated.”
If Carter is ultimately unable to play or is limited, Allen said he’ll likely rely on the same group he used over the final three quarters of the Fiesta Bowl. That would mean a combination of Amin Vanover, Smith Vilbert and true freshman Max Granville beside Carter’s fellow starter Dani Dennis-Sutton.
“I would say it would be fair to say that would be a good picture of what it would look like,” Allen said. “Very confident in those guys. When he went out in the second quarter, I don’t think they got a first down the rest of the half. So our guys did a great job in all those situations. So we got a lot of guys, whether they’re older, younger, everything in between.”
Vanover projects as the direct backup behind Carter, especially after coming off a win against the Broncos in which he was named the team’s co-defensive player of the game. Vanover tallied six total tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack.
“He played his best game since I’ve been here,” Allen said. “… Just super production from him. Just played so hard, which he usually does, but he was just so productive in a way that we needed. Some really, really big plays.”
