FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Ever since Abdul Carter left the Fiesta Bowl last week with an upper-body injury, his status for Thursday night’s Orange Bowl has been a hot topic.
Speculation ran rampant after Carter, Penn State’s outstanding defensive end, was not seen Sunday at practice.
Nittany Lions coach James Franklin described Carter’s availability for the College Football Playoff semifinal against Notre Dame as a “game-time decision” on Wednesday.
“We anticipate Abdul playing,” Franklin said. “He’s doing everything he possibly can to play. His approach has been awesome. He’s lived in the training room. It’ll be a game-time decision. We’ll see.”
Carter, a consensus first-team All-American, leads Penn State with 21.5 tackles for loss and 11 sacks. The Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, he’s projected to be a first-round draft pick in the spring.
“He’s a really, really, really good player,” Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard said. “He’s going to get after it. He plays really hard with a high motor. He’s not scared to lean into somebody and blow up a play.
“He’s really good with his hands. He’s a longer guy and he knows how to use his length. Being able to play against him is less of a challenge and more of an opportunity to prove ourselves again.”
Carter, a high school star at La Salle in Philadelphia, was injured on the first play of the second quarter against Boise State. Fellow defensive ends Dani Dennis-Sutton, Amin Vanover and Smith Vilbert stepped up and helped hold Ashton Jeanty, the nation’s leading rusher, to 104 yards on 30 carries.
“We’re very confident in those guys,” Lions defensive coordinator Tom Allen said. “When he went out in the second quarter, I don’t believe they got a first down the rest of the half. Our guys did a great job. If they’re called upon, they’ll be ready.”
Carter has hinted on social media over the last week that he will play.
“He wants to play,” Franklin said. “He has put a ton of cryptic messages on social media, which you guys have probably seen. We are hopeful and expecting Abdul to play. We’ll see how that plays out.”
Love’s status: It was unclear whether Notre Dame leading rusher Jeremiyah Love, who has been bothered by a knee injury, will play in the Orange Bowl or how much he will play.
Love left the Fighting Irish’s 23-10 win over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl in the first half and did not return. He has run for 1,076 yards and 16 touchdowns.
“Jeremiyah has had a great week of practice,” Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said. “We have to be smart in terms of how much we’re asking him to do in practice. We’ve got to get him ready. He’s confident.
“Nobody feels 100% right now. But J-Love will be good to go.”
Former Irish fan: Penn State wide receiver Liam Clifford never thought he’d be playing against his favorite college football team as a child.
“I actually grew up a Notre Dame fan,” Clifford said. “My brother (former Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford) and I grew up going to Notre Dame games as a kid.
“You couldn’t really write it better having a game like this. I’m excited for the opportunity.”
The Clifford brothers have a cousin who attended law school at Notre Dame. Their family would visit her and then go to football games. Liam Clifford recalled being at a game and seeing the Irish make a goal-line stand against USC.
“The energy in that stadium was unmatched,” he said. “That’s when I knew I wanted to play college football.”
