Penn State's Abdul Carter Doing 'Everything He Can' to Be Ready for the Orange Bowl

Penn State's All-America defensive end was injured in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year's Eve. Defensive coordinator Tom Allen discussed Carter's status in Florida.

Penn State Nittany Lions defensive end Abdul Carter (11) after defeating the Boise State Broncos in the Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

FORT LAUDERDALE | Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter is doing "everything that he can do" to play in Thursday's Orange Bowl, defensive coordinator Tom Allen said Tuesday, offering another hopeful tone that the Big Ten defensive player of the year will be ready to face Notre Dame.

Carter, a consensus All-American who sustained an upper body injury Dec. 31 in the Fiesta Bowl, has posted symbolic Star Wars videos on social media hinting that he's recovering from the injury. Allen's update followed Penn State coach James Franklin's positive update last week about Carter. Franklin will get questions again Wednesday at the Orange Bowl coaches' press conference.

"Anytime you’ve got a guy that is kind of like an eraser, that's pretty special," Allen said of Carter, who leads all Power 4 players with 21.5 tackles for loss. "You plug him into places, you put him in different positions, and it’s fun to create different ways to create issues for the offense. But other times, it's just the simple things. Just let him just go rush quarterback, you know."

Carter's status likely will go to kickoff Thursday night at Hard Rock Stadium, but Allen said Penn State is preparing contingencies as it did for the Fiesta Bowl against Boise State. Penn State devised a specific plan for Carter in that game, pressing him close to the line of scrimmage to challenge Broncos running back Ashton Jeanty. But Allen also devised a "Plan B," primarily in case Carter played too many snaps.

When Carter went down, the Nittany Lions went to that alternate plan, which included veteran defensive end Amin Vanover, true freshman end Max Granville and linebacker Dom DeLuca taking on larger roles. A similar "Plan B" is in place for the Orange Bowl, Allen said.

"It would be fair to say that would be a good picture of what it would look like," Allen said. "And yeah, we're very confident in those guys. We've got a lot of guys, whether they're older, younger or everything in between, and just a good plan for that. [We're] excited about whatever that creates for them, and if they're called upon, they'll be ready."

After the Fiesta Bowl, Allen praised the work DeLuca did in shouldering some of Carter's responsibilities. On Tuesday, Allen said Vanover, who had six tackles (two for losses) and a sack against Boise State, played his best game of the season. Vanover was one of the defensive MVPs for the game.

"He played his best game since I've been here," Allen said of Vanover. "... He just played so hard, which he usually does, but he was also just so productive in a way that we needed."

Still, Penn State needs Carter's production against Notre Dame, especially his ability to track running backs and derail quarterback scrambles. With Notre Dame ranking 108th nationally in passing offense (and 74th in attemps), Carter's pass-rush skills might be less important. However, Carter would change how Notre Dame deploys quarterback Riley Leonard, particularly in the run game.

"It's just great to have a guy that you know the opposing team has to deal with in a lot of different ways," Allen said. "They've got to scheme for him, they've got to know where he’s at. What's their plan for him? We don't know that right away, obviously, but as the series unfold, you get a good chance to see what they're gonna do and how they're gonna block him, how they're gonna protect, how they're gonna handle him. And then you try to adjust to that show.

"But the thing I love about Abdul is, he loves the game. He loves to play the game. He plays so hard, he practices hard, and he's fun to have on your team, because he's a guy that you know is going to show up and give you everything he’s got."

Penn State meets Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl on Thursday at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

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