Penn State freshman Abdul Carter shines on the national stage
Penn State freshman linebacker Abdul Carter’s introduction on a nationwide level was delayed by two weeks following a targeting ejection on his first defensive snap against Purdue in the season opener. On Saturday against Auburn, the former four-star prospect made his presence felt in a big way in a win over the Tigers.
Carter led Penn State in tackles with six, added a sack, a forced fumble and a pass breakup in a sparkling showing.
“Abdul, as you guys know, in the little that you’ve seen him, he flashes,” James Franklin said after the game. “I know you guys have all seen it. We’ve been excited about him. He’s so mature, picking things up quickly, he’s fast, he’s aggressive.
“There’s something about that No. 11. I’m not sure, but it’s had a lot of success here at Penn State. And I’m glad for the lettermen that wore it before that he’s representing it the right way. But, if he didn’t have the game where he got sent to the sideline, you would’ve saw more of that. Hopefully we’ll continue to build on this with him.”
“We talked all week about not just coming to Penn State to play in games like this, but coming to Penn State to win games like this,” Carter told Penn State Football’s official channel following the win. “I think that motivated the team a lot and we just came out here and made history.”
Carter shows off playmaking ability for Penn State
He played a career-high 35 snaps on Saturday and was the second-highest graded Nittany Lion defender in the win. Carter forced Auburn’s Shedrick Jackson to cough up the football just before halftime and later in the game dropped Tigers quarterback Robby Ashford for an 11-yard loss.
Penn State’s defensive effort forced four turnovers and shut down a previously-feared Auburn rushing attack.
“I think it was great,” said Carter. “Our main goal was to come out here and stop No. 4 (Auburn running back Tank Bigsby), clearly he’s their best player. I think we did a great job with that. I think he had nine carries, 39 yards. So a pretty good job for us.”
The Nittany Lions terrorized the quarterback combination of starter TJ Finley and backup Ashford. Penn State finished with six sacks and was credited with nine hurries in the win. By the second half, the Nittany Lions’ defense was dictating the game.
“Our main thing was just physicality and violence. Just come in here and make sure that No. 9 (Ashford) feels our presence. No. 1 (Finley) definitely felt it,” Carter said. “We did our job.”
Total team effort for the Nittany Lions
Penn State’s defense also locked the Tigers down in the Red Zone on Saturday and allowed Auburn to convert just one of its final 10 third down opportunities.
“If we do that, we win. Physicality, creating turnovers, running to the ball, we win,” said Carter. “I think our preparation was key to this game. We had a great week of practice and we came out here and it showed.”
