Abdul Carter saw it the whole way. He waited patiently for the moment Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer would leave the pocket, and that’s when he snapped. Carter raced toward Altmyer, bringing him down and knocking the ball out for a strip-sack that sealed Penn State’s 21-7 win over Illinois on Saturday.
Carter had been lauded as one of the nation’s top defensive players and a projected first-round NFL Draft pick entering the fall. But through his first three games since switching from linebacker to defensive end, he seldom lived up to the hype. That was until Saturday, when Carter tallied 3.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a pass breakup.
“It feels great,” Carter said. “When you put all your work into the game, all your time into the game, you work your whole life with these situations and when you come out here and make plays, you just get that relief of all the work you put in.”
It was three weeks ago, after a narrow 34-27 victory over Bowling Green, that James Franklin made a point of emphasis. He believed too many defensive players were trying to make plays rather than simply play their role within the defense. It didn’t take much guessing to assume that Carter was one of these players, especially after he owned up to it postgame…