Penn State's Abdul Carter building Heisman case

Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter delivered another electrifying performance on Saturday during the Nittany Lions' 44-7 blowout victory over Maryland. Carter made his presence felt in the third quarter, as he stormed through Maryland’s offensive line sacking quarterback MJ Morris for a 7-yard loss. After the play, the junior struck the Heisman pose. 

Carter has become increasingly vocal about his Heisman aspirations, using social media to assert himself as one of the nation's elite players. 

Saturday’s performance only helped cement his place in the conversation. With six tackles, two sacks, two tackles for loss and one quarterback hurry, Carter was a one-man wrecking crew. 

His two sacks brought his season total to 10, a mark that hasn't been reached by a Penn State player since Carl Nassib's 15.5 sacks in 2015.

“His versatility going from primarily speed, finesse guy to now he can just go through a tackle’s chest,” defensive tackle Dvon J-Thomas said. “Little details have propelled him into being the best defensive end in the country.”

J-Thomas credited Carter’s rapid development to his growing football IQ, particularly in how he reads and adapts to opponents. One of Carter's sacks on Saturday, according to J-Thomas, was a direct result of Carter's diligent film study. 

“He rushed speed outside, took a quick step, and this is literally just from film study, understanding his personnel and knowing what kind of sets that he gets from different tackles,” J-Thomas said. “He's developed that vision and that understanding all throughout the year.”

Carter’s performance against Maryland was just the latest chapter in what has been an exceptional season for the Nittany Lions' defense. Alongside him, fellow defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton was also a standout. 

Dennis-Sutton showed no ill effects from the injury that had sidelined him for part of the season and Franklin had mentioned he is “getting closer to 100%.” 

He had three tackles, a sack, a tackle for loss, and three quarterback hurries in arguably his best game of the campaign.

J-Thomas emphasized how the two defensive ends — Carter and Dennis-Sutton — feed off each other’s energy, igniting the entire defense. When the pass rush is firing on all cylinders, the entire unit becomes more dangerous. 

“(Carter and Dennis-Sutton) were incredible,” J-Thomas said. “Once you stop that run, the pass rush is up for grabs in terms of those two, and they've just done an incredible job all season of capitalizing on their gifts and attributes of getting to that quarterback.”

Despite his dominant play, Carter remains hungry for more. He acknowledged the high level of his individual performance but insisted that he and his defensive line group still have room for improvement. 

“I feel like there's definitely a lot of areas as a unit where we can get better at,” Carter said. “We haven't played our best football yet.”

Even as his statistics and impact on the field suggest otherwise, Carter insists he is nowhere near satisfied. With All-American accolades already in the conversation and his play consistently making waves on the national stage, Carter remains focused on continuous improvement. 

“I’m still finding ways to get better," Carter said. "I haven’t played my best football yet.”

Alex Rocco is a graduate student pursuing a master's in strategic communications. To contact him, email alex.rocco1702@gmail.com.