Penn State will need these 3 players to step up if Abdul Carter is limited in the Orange Bowl

Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Allen has garnered mixed reviews in his first year replacing current Duke head coach Manny Diaz in Happy Valley. However, one of Allen and the entire Penn State coaching staff’s best decisions this year came before the season even kicked off when they moved Abdul Carter from linebacker to defensive end. 

Carter was a near All-American linebacker, but at defensive end in 2024, he won the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and was a National DPOY finalist with 11 sacks and over 20 tackles for loss. Carter could be the best pass rusher in the country and is a surefire first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. 

So, if he’s unable to play in Penn State’s Orange Bowl College Football Playoff semifinal against Notre Dame after injuring his left arm in the Fiesta Bowl win over Boise State, Carter will be a massive loss. While he won’t give official word, head coach James Franklin has hinted that Carter is likely to play, though potentially not at full strength. If he’s limited or simply out against the Fighting Irish, then Allen’s defense will need these 3 players to step up. 

Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard averages fewer than four yards per attempt under pressure this season, so pushing the pocket will be at the top of the to-do list for the Penn State defensive line. However, the bigger priority for the Nittany Lions will be to slow down Leonard and the Notre Dame run game. 

The Irish have one of the most efficient rushing attacks in the country which will make Zane Durant that much more important. The 6-foot-1 288-pound interior defensive lineman has 27 QB pressures this year but is better as a run defender. He’s second to Carter on the Penn State defensive line in run-game stops and has an average depth of tackle of 1.9 yards. 

Penn State hasn’t faced many athletic quarterbacks this season and certainly none as effective a runner as Leonard. Illinois QB Luke Altmyer was close to Leonard’s effectiveness as a scrambler, and in that early season matchup, Allen leaned into Carter’s linebacker roots on crucial downs. 

Instead of rushing Carter, his best pass-rusher, Allen had him spy Altmyer and run him down once he attempted to escape the pocket. Carter is one of the few 250-pound human beings on earth capable of this, so if he can’t go, the Nittany Lions will need to find a new spy, and likely one who isn’t a defensive lineman. 

The primary candidates are all off-ball linebackers: Kobe King, Tony Rojas, and Dom DeLuca. Whoever draws that assignment could be the most important player on the entire defense. 

No Penn State pass rusher will be able to replicate Carter’s impact and production, but at his best, Dennis-Sutton can do a credible imitation. The former five-star defensive end is second on the team with 41 quarterback pressures, though he has a 14.1% pass-rush win rate, a far cry from Carter’s 22.9%. 

Dennis-Sutton is at his best as Robin to Carter’s Batman, with his superhero teammate attracting double-teams and chips while he wins one-on-one. With Carter out, or even limited, Dennis-Sutton will need to find a way to produce when he’s the one getting the extra attention from the opposing offense, a nice dress rehearsal for next season when Carter is in the NFL. 

Amin Vanover will see an uptick in snaps as Carter’s primary backup, but it’ll be up to Dennis-Sutton to pressure Leonard.

Check out FanSided's Stacking the Box podcast CFP semifinal preview with a full breakdown of this Orange Bowl matchup: