Tag: Abdul Carter

Penn State overcomes surprising challenge vs. Bowling Green in 34-27 win

Penn State’s defense played a much better second half to help avoid an upset to Bowling Green.

Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen each had 100-yard games and tight end Tyler Warren led all players with 146 receiving yards, but Penn State’s 34-27 over Bowling Green was anything but easy. The Nittany Lions came from behind with a strong second-half effort by the defense to improve to 2-0 on the season. Despite being a five-touchdown favorite, Penn State had a lot to tighten up at halftime to find a way to put Bowling Green away for good, and it was not until late in the fourth quarter they finally did,

Bowling Green opened the game with a stunning touchdown drive, marching 75 yards on six plays to put the first points of the day on the board with a six-yard from Connor Bazelak to Harold Fannin Jr. Fannin Jr. was just setting the stage for a massive day against the Penn State defense, which struggled to contain him all afternoon.

Penn State answered on the next possession with a quick touchdown drive with [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] capping a 75-yard drive with a five-yard touchdown run. But the Falcons took a 10-7 lead before the end of the second quarter and led by a score of 17-7 just minutes into the second quarter. Penn State battled back to tie things up at 17-17, but Bowling Green retook the lead on a 41-yard touchdown run by Jamal Johnson, and Bowling Green held on to a 24-20 lead at halftime.

It was not until just past the midway point of the third quarter that Penn State took its first lead of the game. Allar completed a 14-yard pass to a streaking [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag] over the middle of the defense for the go-ahead score. The drive was highlighted by a hefty dose of passes to tight end Tyler Warren.

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Penn State had a chance to create a little breathing room late in the third quarter but a Drew Allar pass was picked off in the end zone by Jacorey Benjamin. Fortunately for Penn State, Benjamin made a poor decision to try returning the interception out of the end zone and was knocked out of bounds at the three-yard line as the third quarter came to a close. That led to a needed defensive stop at the start of the fourth quarter by the Penn State defense, which gave the Nittany Lions another chance to go up by two scores.

But Penn State was forced to punt the football away on the ensuing drive after a deep pass from Allar to Harrison Wallace III, one of the offensive stars in Week 1, was broken up.

Penn State’s defense cleaned things up after halftime and came up with interceptions on back-to-back Bowling Green possessions in the fourth quarter, one by linebacker [autotag]Tony Rojas[/autotag] and the other by safety [autotag]Zakee Wheatley[/autotag]. Shortly after Wheatley’s pick, Singleton ripped off his third touchdown run of 40+ yards this season to put Penn State up 34-24.

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Singleton ended the day with 133 total offensive yards and two touchdowns. Allen had his first 100-yard game of the season. Wide receiver Julian Fleming had his first catch in a Penn State uniform, although for a small three-yard gain.

Jaylen Reed led the Penn State defense with 10 tackles and [autotag]Abdul Carter[/autotag] came up with some big plays along with his 7 tackles. Kobe King added 7 tackles and came down with a football on a late Bowling Green onside kick attempt to allow Penn State to run out the clock once and for all.

Penn State will be off next week. The Nittany Lions return to action on Saturday, Sept. 21 with a home game against Kent State.

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WVU coach Neal Brown after loss to Penn State: ‘Our best players just didn’t play very well’

Here is what West Virginia head coach Neal Brown said about his team after losing to Penn State.

After winning more games than most people thought they would in 2023, West Virginia was as excited as ever to open up the 2024 season hosting Penn State, a top-10 team in the preseason polls making their first visit to Morgantown since 1992. The crowd was energetic and ready from the start, but Penn State managed to prevail with a big second-quarter outburst and controlled the game following an extended weather delay at halftime. After the game, West Virginia head coach Neal Brown did not shy away from saying his players did not play well in a 34-12 loss to Penn State.

“I’ll credit Penn State. (They’re a) good team. James (Franklin) does a really good job there,” Brown said in his postgame press conference. “He’s done it for a long time, but we played bad football. I can sit here and talk for a long time but that’s the deal.”

Franklin said in his postgame comments that his team excelled in some of the key areas they try to win every week. From the opposing locker room, Brown seemed to agree with that premise.

“You have three phases. You have offense, you have defense and you have special teams. Special teams is the only phase of the game today that we gave ourselves the chance to win,” Brown said. “So to say I am disappointed in how we played would be an understatement. We played really poorly, and it was on a big stage. We are very aware of that, and we played poorly.”

Brown take accountability as the head coach, saying the blame starts with him, as well as putting some of the responsibility on his staff for not having his players prepared to the level needed to overcome the Nittany Lions.

“It starts with me. I am the head coach, and I am responsible for it. Then our staff, we didn’t put our players in positions in some key times, especially in the first half I thought.”

Then Brown put the spotlight on some of his key players without mentioning any specific names.

“Our best players just didn’t play very well. Outside of, I would say, (redshirt freshman linebacker) Josiah Trotter. Just watching the game and having a chance to watch it during halftime, I thought he played at a high level. (Redshirt senior safety) Anthony Wilson is much improved. Then after that, I don’t think any of our players played at a level that is gonna be required to beat a team like that.”

Brown was complimentary of a couple of Penn State’s top defensive players, specifically Abdul Carter, before directing the reasons for the loss back on his team.

“Listen, they have two defensive ends that aren’t good players, they are great players. Especially rushing the passers. Number 11 (Abdul Carter) is a great pass rusher,” Brown said. “But with that being said, we didn’t give ourselves a chance. They did not necessarily beat us, we did not give ourselves a chance.”

West Virginia will get a chance to regroup next week with a home game against a much less intimidating opponent, the University of Albany (an FCS school). But every Penn State fan is hoping the Mountaineers play much better after that as West Virginia travels to Pittsburgh to take on their Backyard Brawl rival, the Pitt Panthers.

Penn State will be home next week for the home opener in Beaver Stadium. The Nittany Lions will host Bowling Green form the MAC for a noon Eastern kickoff on Big Ten Network.

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Not even Mother Nature can slow down No. 9 Penn State in 34-12 win over West Virginia

Penn State starts off the 2024 season with a win with help from the entire roster.

Open on the road? No problem. Overcome a two-hour weather delay? No sweat.

Not even Mother Nature could slow down the momentum Penn State established in a season-opening road win at West Virginia on Saturday. No. 9 Penn State (no. 8 in AP top 25) turned in a dominant performance to leave Morgantown, West Virginia with a 34-12 victory over the Mountaineers and it included contributions from all around the roster.

After a scoreless first quarter, Penn State took command in the second quarter with a 20-point burst before halftime. [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] connected for three touchdown passes, including a pair to [autotag]Harrison Wallace III[/autotag]; [autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag] scored the other in the second quarter. The first half was highlighted by the Penn State defense seemingly getting the wrong end of a botched instant replay after an apparent fourth-down stop, but holding West Virginia to a field goal in the final minute of the half to cut Penn State’s lead to 13-6.

But the offense turned it around with a big pass from Allar to Omari Evans and the second of Wallace’s touchdown catches seconds later to take a commanding 20-6 lead into halftime. [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag] found an opening and exp[osed it with a 40-yard run for a touchdown to open the third quarter to give Penn State a 27-6 lead.

It was not until early in the fourth quarter when West Virginia scored a touchdown. Of course, this may have been another example of poor officiating and questionable replay procedures as the Fox cameras seemingly showed that West Virginia running back CJ Donaldson appeared to be short of the end zone before getting the ball across the line. The play stood with no challenge and [autotag]Abdul Carter[/autotag] and [autotag]Tony Rojas[/autotag] met in the backfield to disrupt a two-point conversion attempt by West Virginia quarterback Garrett Greene.

And then the waiting game began. Severe thunderstorms rolled through the area during halftime and delayed the start of the second half by a little more than two hours. Once play eventually resumed, Penn State’s offense picked up right where it left off with a touchdown on the opening drive of the half. Penn State would respond later in the fourth quarter with a final knockout blow when [autotag]Beau Pribula[/autotag] connected with tight end [autotag]Tyler Warren[/autotag] for a score minutes later.

Allar passed for 216 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 44 yards on six carries, a number of them picking up first downs along the way. Wallace III led the receivers with 117 yards and two touchdowns. Warren ended the day with three catches for 30 yards and a score, catching all three of the passes targeted for him in the game.

After having just one 100-yard game a season ago, and having to wait until the final game of the regular season, [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag] started the year on the right foot with 114 rushing yards. Singleton had a pair of 40-yard runs in the game.

Carter’s defensive stats won’t impress anyone checking just the box score, but he drew some double-team coverage on multiple occasions, usually allowing someone else on the defensive line to make a big play. Rojas ended the game with 1.5 sacks and [autotag]Kevin Winston[/autotag] led the Nittany Lions with 12 total tackles. [autotag]Jaylen Reed[/autotag] broke up two passes and forced a fumble.

Penn State completed the two-game home-and-home series with West Virginia, continuing its winning tradition against their former longtime regional rival. Penn State is now 50-9-2 all-time against West Virginia. Unfortunately, there are no additional future games on the books between these two schools at this time.

Next up for Penn State is the home opener next Saturday. Penn State will host Bowling Green from the MAC for another noon kickoff in Week 2. Bowling Green is coming off a 41-17 victory over Fordham to open its season. Next week’s game will air on Big Ten Network.

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Penn State defensive MVP predictions for 2024

Our staff makes their picks for Penn State’s defensive MVP in 2024.

Penn State’s offense may be the bigger question for the Nittany Lions this season, but the defense has a few things to figure out this season as well. After the departure of Manny Diaz to be a head coach at Duke, Penn State brought in former Indiana head coach Tom Allen to take over as defensive coordinator. Allen’s reputation as a defensive mind is well-regarded, and he has some good players to work with this season.

Allen has a defense that sees a key player make a notable position change, a rising star at linebacker, and another stud in the making in the secondary to carry on Penn State’s recent line of success in the defensive backfield.

Here are our predictions for Penn State’s defensive MVP in 2024.

Brad Wakai: Tony Rojas

While all the attention is on Abdul Carter moving to edge rusher, it’s going to be tackling machine Tony Rojas who racks up stats and stops the run, allowing Penn State’s pass rushers to wreak havoc like they have done so often.

Charlie Strella: Tony Rojas

The smart pick is Abdul Carter and he rightfully is the best player on PSU’s defense, but this is “Linebacker U” after all so I’m going with the up and coming sophomore Tony Rojas. The next NFL caliber linebacker to come out of Happy Valley. He very well could end up leading the team in tackles and is already emerging as a leader of defense.

Shayne Kubas: Kevin Winston Jr

It’s tempting to go with the explosive Abdul Carter with this pick, but nobody was more consistent on Penn State’s defense last season than Kevin Winston Jr. He is the glue that should keep a new-look secondary together, and there could be a potential top-50 NFL draft pick with his name on it next April.

Kevin McGuire: Abdul Carter

So nobody wants to take Abdul Carter? Then I suppose I will!

The move from linebacker to the edge of the line is a fascinating one and I do believe it will lead to Carter being one of the top edge rusher sin the Big Ten. The explosiveness I expect Carter to bring to the line will create some huge plays in the backfield this season and just his presence alone up front will help others on the line make some plays as well. I think we are in for a monster season from Carter.

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13 Penn State players appear on Senior Bowl watch list for 2024

A large number of Penn State players are on this year’s Senior Bowl watch list.

Penn State has historically been productive when it comes to manufacturing talent for the next level in the NFL, and this year’s roster is not short on potential NFL talent. One of the highlights of the draft cycle is the Reese’s Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, which invites the nation’s top seniors to participate in one of the premier scouting events outside of the annual NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis. An invite to the Senior Bowl is cherished and must be earned, and is a sign of the respect the NFL draft and scouting community holds for a player. It is a great tryout in front of the NFL world and can dramatically impact a player’s draft stock.

The Senior Bowl released its watch list of players for the upcoming season, and Penn State was well represented with players that could eventually be invited to participate in the top senior all-star game leading up to the NFL draft.

The full list of Penn State players appearing on the watch list includes:

  • [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag], QB
  • [autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag], RB
  • [autotag]Abdul Carter[/autotag], DL
  • [autotag]Dani Dennis-Sutton[/autotag], DL
  • [autotag]Julian Fleming[/autotag], WR
  • [autotag]Kobe King[/autotag], LB
  • [autotag]JB Nelson[/autotag], OL
  • [autotag]Jaylen Reed[/autotag], DB
  • [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag], RB
  • [autotag]Tyler Warren[/autotag], TE
  • [autotag]Kevin Winston Jr.[/autotag], DB
  • [autotag]Sal Wormley[/autotag], OL
  • [autotag]Nolan Rucci[/autotag], OL

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Penn State defensive star selected to AP preseason All-American second team

Penn State defensive end named to the preseason AP All-American second team.

Penn State Nittany Lions star defensive end [autotag]Abdul Carter[/autotag] was selected to the Associated Press preseason All-American second team.

After earning first-team All-Big Ten honors last year, Carter is receiving plenty of preseason recognition from many watchlists nationwide. The Philadelphia native started in all 13 games in 2023, tallying 48 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, an interception, a forced fumble and five pass breakups.

The 6-foot-3, 259-pound Carter is Penn State’s third preseason All-American in two years, joining offensive tackle Olu Fashanu and cornerback Kalen King, each named first-team selections last preseason.

Carter made the offseason position switch from linebacker to defensive end, likely leading to higher pass rush statistics this season. He isn’t going to abandon the linebacker position entirely and will play there when it is most advantageous for him and the team.

The other defensive end who joins Carter on the second team is Texas A&M’s Nic Scourton. Carter and Scourton are projected to be first-round draft picks in the 2025 NFL draft.

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ESPN top 100 college football players for 2024 includes two Nittany Lions

Are you surprised by which Penn State players made ESPN’s top 100 college football players of 2024 list?

The wait for the return of a brand new Penn State football season is almost over. The anticipation continues to rise for a brand new era for the entire sport with massive realignment changes and conference expansion and the the College Football Playoff growing from four teams to 12. Penn State is hoping the additional playoff spots will allow the Nittany Lions to get in the playoff fun. If they are going to do that, some big-time players will have to perform.

And according to ESPN’s college football staff, the Nittany Lions have a couple of the top 100 players in the sport suiting up in blue and white this fall.

Abdul Carter is ranked no. 20 on the list from ESPN. ESPN lists Carter as a linebacker, but he did make a well-profiled move to defensive end this offseason. However, head coach James Franklin has suggested more recently we could see Carter play at his more familiar linebacker spot at times. No matter what position he is playing, he will be a strong asset for the Penn State defense.

Carter also was named a second-team preseason all-America player by ESPN.

Kaytron Allen is ranked no. 69 in the list of the nation’s top 100 players. Last season saw Allen lead Penn State in rushing yardage with 902 rushing yards. He also rushed for six touchdowns. As a freshman in 2022, Allen rushed for 867 yards and 10 touchdowns. ESPN notes that Allen may be the better NFL draft prospect compared to his backfield partner, Nick Singleton.

Singleton was among the notable Penn State players not appearing on ESPN’s list of the top 100 players this season. Other notable omissions included Dani Dennis-Sutton, who has been viewed by some as a potential first-round draft pick in 2025, quarterback Drew Allar, and safety Kevin Winston Jr.

You can view ESPN’s full list of the top 100 college football players in 2024 to see who else lands on the list.

Penn State will open the 2024 season with a road game at West Virginia on Saturday, Aug. 31. You can see the full Penn State schedule here and download a schedule wallpaper for your smartphone.

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Abdul Carter and Kevin Winston Jr. named on Bednarik Award watch list

Penn State has four all-time Bednarik Award winners. Will eihter of these two watch list players be the fifth?

College football’s award watch list season is drawing near a close, but a couple of Penn State players managed to get their names on a notable watch list this week. Defensive end Abdul Carter and safety Kevin Winston Jr. were each named on this year’s watch list for the Chuck Bednarik Award, which honors the nation’s top defensive player by the Maxwell Football Club.

Carter has also appeared on the watch lists for the Lott IMPACT Trophy, Bronko Nagurski Trophy, and the Walter Camp Player of the Year. Carter made a notable offseason move from linebacker to defensive end, although head coach James Franklin has suggested fans will see Carter play multiple positions this season depending on what the defense needs.

Penn State has had three players combine for four all-time Bednarik Awards in program history. LaVar Arrington was the first Nittany Lion to win the award in 1999. Paul Posluszny won back-to-back Bednarik Awards in 2005 and 2006 to become the second two-time and back-to-back winner of the award (Northwestern’s Pat Fitzgerald won the first two Bednarik Awards in 1995 and 1996). Dan Conner made it three Bednarik Awards in a row with his honor in 2007.

Last year’s winner of the Bednarik Award was NC State linebacker Payton Wilson (now with the Pittsburgh Steelers). The last Big Ten player to win the Bednarik Award was Ohio State defensive end Chase Young in 2019.

Other notable past winners of the Bednarik Award include Ndamukong Suh (Nebraska, 2009), Patrick Peterson (LSU, 2010) Aaron Donald (Pittsburgh, 2013), Julius Peppers (North Carolina, 2001), and Charles Woodson (Michigan, 1997).

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Abdul Carter among ESPN’s favorite Big Ten players in 2024

Abdul Carter is drawing some big hype entering the 2024 season.

One of the top storylines for the Penn State football team in 2024 is [autotag]Abdul Carter[/autotag]’s position switch. The All Big-Ten linebacker is now moving to the defensive line full-time, and the success of that switch could be the x-factor for a potential playoff berth in the new 12-team format.

While there is no guarantee that Carter can hold up as a pass rusher full-time, many believe he has all the tools to do so. Among those high on him are ESPN reporters Adam Rittenberg and Jake Trotter, who named Carter as one of their favorite players in the Big Ten for the upcoming season.

They love his ability to get into the backfield quickly, citing his impressive 11 career sacks and 16.5 tackles for loss as a linebacker through his first two seasons. It’s not surprising for a player with Carter’s skillset to be a favorite for reporters, and the intrigue surrounding his position switch only adds to it.

It also seems like Carter will still play a more hybrid role on the defense based on the comments from defensive coordinator Tom Allen.

 

Allowing Carter to play both linebacker and edge rusher early on should help ease his transition, but anyone who has watched a lot of Penn State football over the last two years knows that his ceiling is higher off the edge. The comparison to former Penn State and current Dallas Cowboys star Micah Parsons is an obvious one, but it’s also a fair one to make.

Both players showed more flashes of elite play when asked to rush the passer, whether it was as a blitzer or from a true edge alignment. Carter will have the advantage of making the switch before he takes his talents to the NFL, something Parsons didn’t do until partway through his rookie season.

If he is even close to being as successful making the switch as Parsons, he could be a top-10 pick in the 2025 NFL draft while anchoring a playoff-caliber defense in Happy Valley. No matter how the season plays out, however, Carter should be one of the most exciting players to watch in 2024.

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Abdul Carter named to Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch list

Abdul Carter is on the watch list for the nation’s top defensive player award in 2024.

On Tuesday, the Penn State junior defensive end [autotag]Abdul Carter[/autotag] was named to the Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch list.

Carter was one of 76 defensive stars to make the preseason list for national defensive player of the year. He is making the switch from linebacker to defensive end, which could help him gain more counting statistics like sacks and tackles for loss.

In 2023, Carter notched 48 tackles (25 solo), 5.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, a forced fumble, an interception, five pass breakups and five QB hurries.

Related: James Franklin plays down Abdul Carter’s position change at Big Ten media days

Other notable names joining Carter on the watchlist include Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts, Georgia safety Malaki Starks, Iowa linebacker Jay Higgins, Ohio State’s Caleb Downs, Denzel Burke, JT Tuimoloau, Michigan’s Will Johnson and Colorado’s Travis Hunter.

It is safe to say that the Big Ten is filled with top-tier defensive players and that the Nagurski Trophy could easily come from the conference.

The Charlotte Touchdown Club will announce finalists for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy on November 2 and unveil the winner on December 9.

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