All Penn State

Penn State's Abdul Carter a Finalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award

The Nittany Lions defensive end is among three contenders for the award honoring the nation's top defensive player.

Mark Wogenrich

Penn State Nittany Lions defensive end Abdul Carter celebrates after a defensive stop during the game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Ind.
Penn State Nittany Lions defensive end Abdul Carter celebrates after a defensive stop during the game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Ind. / Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
In this story:

Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter is among three finalists for the Chuck Bednarik Award, given to the nation's top defensive player in college football. Carter is nominated with Colorado defensive back Travis Hunter and Ohio State safety Caleb Downs for the honor. The Bednarik Award will be presented during the Home Depot College Football Awards on Dec. 12 on ESPN.

Carter has been among the nation's most disruptive defensive players this season, his first playing defensive end full-time. The junior from Philadelphia leads the Big Ten and ranks third nationally in tackles for loss (17.5). He's tied for fourth in the Big Ten with eight sacks. Carter enters Penn State's regular-season finale with 19 career sacks.

The two-time all-Big Ten selection at linebacker made four tackles for loss and two sacks, including a strip-sack, against Washington to earn national player-of-the-week awards from the Maxwell Football Club and the Walter Camp Foundation. For Penn State coach James Franklin, this play against Purdue was perhaps Carter's best of the season.

“I mean, the play he made on the screen [against Purdue] was phenomenal,” Franklin said. “For us, we try to spend a lot of time talking about real football people, studying the tape, NFL scouts, GMs, other college coaches. When you watch the tape, the guy is impactful. Whether it's sacks, whether it's tackles for loss, whether it's holding calls, whether it is obvious that they have a specific plan in how they're trying to limit his impact — keeping tight ends in, keeping running backs in, always sliding in his direction so there's double-team between the tackle and the guard — he is impacting the game in a number of ways, which creates opportunities for other guys on our defensive line and within our defense and causes a lot of headaches.”

"You still haven't seen the best of me yet," Abdul Carter says

Penn State has history with the Bednarik Award, sponsored by the Maxwell Football Club. Three Nittany Lions have won the award: LaVar Arrington in 1999, Paul Posluszny in 2005-06 and Dan Connor in 2007. Connor also was a finalist with Posluszny in 2006. Four other players have been finalists: Courtney Brown in 1999, Aaron Maybin in 2008, Devon Still in 2011 and Carl Nassib in 2015.

ESPN on Tuesday announced the finalists for nine national awards. Carter also is semifinalist for the Lombardi Award, the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award and the Lott IMPACT Trophy. Penn State's Tyler Warren is a semifinalist for the Mackey Award.

More Penn State Football

Penn State's James Franklin "surprised" Abdul Carter doesn't draw more holding penalties

A Penn State football tradition: James Franklin's Thanksgiving press conference

Penn State sustained two key injuries against Minnesota

Published
Mark Wogenrich
MARK WOGENRICH

Mark Wogenrich is Editor and Publisher of AllPennState, the site for Penn State news on SI's FanNation Network. He has covered Penn State sports for more than two decades across three coaching staffs and three Rose Bowls.

Home/Football