Penn State-Notre Dame injury updates: Latest on Abdul Carter, Jeremiyah Love before the Orange Bowl
MIAMI — Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter and Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love both participated in pregame warmups here at Hard Rock Stadium before tonight’s College Football Playoff semifinal. Each is likely to play fewer snaps than usual. But, both are expected to take the field tonight. Carter hurt his left shoulder in the Fiesta Bowl. His upper arm was heavily wrapped and he wore a blue sleeve on that arm, which he usually does not. Love, meanwhile, wore a brace over the right knee he tweaked in the Fighting Irish’s regular season finale and then again in the Sugar Bowl.
“I’ve been told he’s been dealing with a shoulder injury and he’s expected to be about 85 percent tonight,” ESPN’s Pete Thamel said on ‘College GameDay.’ “Guys, he averages 46 snaps a game. I’ve been told he’s not gonna take that many snaps tonight. Look for him to be worked in situationally–pass rush downs. It’s gonna be a pain tolerance threshold issue. James Franklin called it a gametime decision. Expect him to play, but be limited.”
Nothing about Carter’s warmup indicted he might be limited, however. He worked with the first-team defensive line per the usual. However, like when teammate and fellow defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton was hurt earlier this year, it’s possible that the All-American plays almost or exclusively on passing downs.
More: Live Updates: Penn State-Notre Dame score, stats, notes from Orange Bowl
As for Love, he is likely to be limited, too. He leads the Fighting Irish in rushing yards. Backup Jadarian Price will get more carries if Love plays less than usual.
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“He’s going to be about 75 to 80 percent tonight,” Thamel reported. “With that percentage for Love, look for Riley Leonard to really run a lot of designed quarterback runs.”
The Orange Bowl between Penn State and Notre Dame starts at approximately 7:45 p.m. ET. ESPN is televising the contest. The Fighting Irish were favored all week, and got up to -2.5 at one point. But, within two hours of kickoff, the spread flipped. The Nittany Lions are now a 1.5-point favorite. The over/under sits at 45.5 points. A sell out crowd or close to it is expected here, as both teams fans have traveled well for this semifinal game. The winner advances to the CFP national title game. That is Jan. 20 in Atlanta, Ga., which is the site of the Peach Bowl.
