STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Abdul Carter is having the most fun he’s ever had playing football and his teammates on No. 3 Penn State’s defense are feeling the effects.
Sure, they’ve enjoyed Carter’s violent pass rushes, sideline-to-sideline tackling, and his stern, crossed-arms, nodding-head celebration. Above all, they love the space Carter’s mere presence provides them as Penn State’s opponents have had to account more for the rangy linebacker-turned-end this season. Carter leads Penn State’s fourth-ranked defense with four sacks and 9 1/2 tackles for loss.
He’s contributed to others that don’t show up in his own stat line. “You peep my blitzes?” safety Jaylen Reed asked, hinting with a grin at his own growing sack count. “They double team Abdul, I don’t know why they leave me, but hey, it helps me.
It helps a lot of us.” The Nittany Lions (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) expect that trend to continue against No. 4 Ohio State (6-1, 3-1) on Saturday in a game that will have massive Big Ten championship and playoff implications.
Penn State may already have a leg up. The Buckeyes could be short blockers to throw at Carter who’ll line up anywhere along defensive coordinator Tom Allen’s front on any given down and distance. Ohio State already lost starting left tackle Josh Simmons to a season-ending injury at Oregon on Oct.
12. Zen Michalski took over protecting quarterback Will Howard’s blindside, but suffered an apparent leg injury last week against Nebrask.
