Penn State lands two on BTN midseason awards list

Coming off a 33-30 overtime win at Southern Cal on Saturday to stay perfect at 6-0, climbing to No. 3 in the national rankings in the process, Penn State football is taking advantage of a bye for the season’s midpoint. Practicing on Sunday, Tuesday, and Wednesday this week, the Nittany Lions

The Nittany Lions are also spending the week as the subject of Big Ten and national attention.

Announced on Thursday, the latest nods arrived via the Big Ten Network, with an offensive and defensive standout earning midseason player of the year recognition. On offense, that distinction went to tight end Tyler Warren, who shared the recognition with Ohio State receiver Emeka Egbuka. Defensively, the Nittany Lions’ standout edge rusher Abdul Carter also earned the nod, sharing it with Indiana’s Mikail Kamara.

Other BTN recognition went to Nebraska’s Matt Rhule and Indiana’s Curt Cignetti for midseason coach of the year, while Big Ten midseason freshman of the year acknowledgment went to Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith and Minnesota’s Koi Perich.

Tyler Warren makes case as country’s best tight end

Penn State head coach James Franklin has been pounding the table for Tyler Warren‘s inclusion among not only the best tight ends in the country, but also the best players in college football this season. This week, Franklin was joined in that effort as national attention has started to fall onto the standout fifth-year senior.

Coming out of a career-high performance, also standing alone within the Big Ten and Penn State history, Warren has started to generate Heisman buzz. His 17 catches for 224 yards helped lift the Nittany Lions to the win on Saturday and boosted his season output to new heights. He now leads the offense with 40 catches for 513 yards and four touchdowns. And, as pointed out by Franklin, Warren’s production in the passing game is but a fraction of his impact on games this season.

“That doesn’t even count what he’s doing in the running game. He’s got a pass. What he’s doing blocking,” said Franklin. “I’ve been talking about him being the best tight end in college football, but the reality is, he’s now part of a conversation of one of the best players in all of college football.”

Warren is third in Penn State history among tight ends with 89 career catches.

Abdul Carter makes his mark on Penn State defense

The aims of Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Allen have been straightforward throughout. Seeking to maximize the tremendous talent and potential of Abdul Carter, a shift from linebacker to defensive end wasn’t about making a one-to-one trade. Rather, creating mismatches for opposing offensive coordinators to constantly consider, Carter’s gravitation to his new position could be met with increasing versatility through the season’s progression.

“I think he’s doing a tremendous job. I think you can just see his comfort level at edge or defensive end is growing each week, and it will continue to enhance ways of utilizing him in different ways,” Allen told reporters on Wednesday. “But, he’s been very impactful. TFLs, sacks. Just doing a great job of making offenses account for him in every way, having specific game plans to block him.

“I just think that he causes offenses to have to know where he’s at. We don’t want them to know where he’s going to line up across the front. We’ll even line up at linebacker. And just continuing to grow those things. And to me, I think he’s progressing really well. He’s got to keep allowing ourselves to be creative with him and allow him to be in a position to make plays.”

Through six games, Carter is tied for third on the defense in tackles with 27, and leads the team both in TFLs (9.5) and sacks (4.0).

Carter was also named as one of 16 quarterfinalists for the Lott IMPACT Trophy on Thursday.

(An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated Ohio State’s Ryan Day was a coach of the year pick.)

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