Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1531683
8 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 5 OPENING SHOT A FORCEFUL RETURN After junior defensive end Abdul Carter exited the Fiesta Bowl on Dec. 31 with an apparent left shoulder injury, speculation quickly turned to whether the consensus All-American would be healthy enough to play in Penn State's matchup against Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl 10 days later. Coach James Franklin said in the days leading up to the game that he didn't know whether Carter would be ready. Carter's NIL agent, Drew Rosenhaus, said it would be a game-time decision. Carter himself was cryptic in his social media posts throughout the week, offering a series of "Star Wars" memes, including several of Darth Vader suspended in a tank of opaque liquid, breathing tubes attached to his face as if re- covering from a light saber duel that had gone badly. Carter did end up playing against the Fighting Irish, and he was his usual devastating self. With the words "Darth Vader" written in eye-black across his cheeks, Carter finished with 5 tackles, including 2 for loss and a sack, along with a quarterback hurry and a pass breakup. Another banged-up defensive end, junior Dani Dennis-Sutton, also had a big night, with 2 sacks, 2 tackles for loss, a forced fumble and a lunging inter- ception in the fourth quarter that set up a Penn State touchdown. Carter and Dennis-Sutton were among the leaders of a Penn State defensive effort that produced 5 sacks and 8 tackles for loss. What it did not produce, however, was a victory. The Irish won, 27-24, on a late field goal following an interception by junior quarterback Drew Allar in the final minute. The loss put a damper on what turned out to be Carter's final game with the Nittany Lions. He's now off to the NFL, having declared on Jan. 10 that he in- tends to move on. The Philadelphia native is expected to be a top-10 draft pick in April after finishing his three-year college career with 172 tackles, including 39.5 for loss and 23 sacks. "I'm really proud of him," Franklin said of Carter following the Orange Bowl. "He gutted it out today, showed tremendous mental and physical toughness, and was disruptive in the game. And Dani is a guy that's really done everything right since he stepped on campus. To see him be able to make some big plays tonight at critical moments was huge. It really gave us a chance to go win that game. "I'm proud of our offense, proud of our defense, proud of our special teams, but [Carter and Dennis- Sutton] deserve a ton of credit, and really not just tonight, but all year long." — Matt Herb PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS