Abdul Carter injury update: What's the latest on the Penn State star 5 days before the Orange Bowl?
STATE COLLEGE — Penn State All-American defensive end Abdul Carter continues to rest and recover after he exited the Nittany Lions’ 31-14 Fiesta Bowl win over Boise State in the second quarter with what appeared to be a left arm or shoulder injury. The junior and future first round NFL Draft pick left the contest twice. He returned for one play following his first trip to the injury tent and then watched the rest of the contest from the sidelines.
Head coach James Franklin held his first news conference of Orange Bowl week on Saturday. Unsurprisingly, one of the first questions he took from reporters on hand in the media room at the Pegula Ice Arena focused on the status of the Philadelphia native before a College Football Playoff semifinal matchup with Notre Dame next Thursday in Miami. What’s the latest on the Big Ten defensive player of the year and Penn State star?
“He’s doing great, his attitude is great, his mentality has been really good,” Franklin said Saturday. “We’ll see. I think he’s taking the right approach and mentality. It’s going to come down to how he feels and how much practice he’s able to get during the week.
“At this point, I don’t think there’s anything that is stopping him from playing. But it’s just going to come down to, is he able to play? And, we’ll see. But his mentality is great. He’s got a big smile on his face. I think he’s excited about this week. But it’s too early to say at this stage.”
If Carter can play, he will
That is and will continue to be Franklin’s message to the media and fan base. He will speak one more time before kickoff at a joint news conference with Fighting Irish coach Marcus Freeman on Wednesday. But, the 11th-year leader of the Penn State program continues to strike a similar tone on Carter, which certainly isn’t a bad thing, even if it’s also not a guarantee that he will play.
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“Well, as you know, these types of games, in this situation, you know, putting ourselves in a position to play for a national championship, Abdul is going to do everything in his power to try to get back,” Franklin told the ESPN ‘College GameDay’ crew back on New Year’s Day.
“If he’s able to go, I know he’ll go, so we’ll get him checked out and make sure everything’s okay. I just saw him walking for breakfast and he looks great. His attitude is great. But I just don’t have a ton of information for you right now. We’ll get back and get some more information, and then find out quickly. The little extra time helps too, as you know.
What will the Penn State plan be if Carter cannot play?
As we saw in Glendale, Ariz., if Carter is out, Penn State will increase the rep counts for Amin Vanover and Smith Vilbert opposite of starter Dani Dennis-Sutton. Freshman Max Granville would likely see extended work, as well. The quartet played very well against Boise State, but this will be a stiffer task, of course. With that said, if the Lions have to go that route, they will do so confidently after seeing how the group performed against the Broncos.
