Abdul Carter got mauled. The star Penn State defensive end, after getting wrapped up and held by Purdue’s left tackle, preventing him from sacking quarterback Hudson Card, looked at the back judge Saturday asking for a flag. It didn’t come. Carter was in disbelief.
Two plays later, Carter did get the flag. Purdue tackle Corey Stewart arm-barred him, trying to prevent one of college football’s top edge rushers from making a play. Carter drew the holding penalty and still fought through the contact to bring the ball-carrier down for a loss.
Carter was relentless in Penn State’s 49-10 win over Purdue. But that sequence — and a few others that afternoon at Ross-Ade Stadium — added more talking points to a conversation that’s been had among Penn State fans and media members alike this season.
It feels like Carter is being held frequently and not getting any calls.
PennLive looked back through Penn State’s 10 games so far and found only two instances of Carter drawing a holding penalty. Stewart’s hold, which was celebrated by Carter, was the latest offense. Carter, using a devastating inside move, also drew a holding penalty on the second-to-last play of the game in Penn State’s win over Illinois. That’s it.
It’s a common football adage that holding could be called on every play. But game by game, it’s become increasingly obvious Carter is causing problems for offensive tackles. His size, speed and power have been overwhelming. And he’s not getting the flags he’s earned.
Carter has been one of the best defensive players in college football this year. His 17 1/2 tackles for loss rank second among FBS players and tops in the Big Ten by a good margin. The Philadelphia native also has eight sacks, which ranks tied for 13th nationally.
How many sacks would Carter have if he wasn’t being held so much? Who knows?
James Franklin was asked Monday about Carter and whether the lack of calls are frustrating for Penn State’s star defensive end.
“If it’s showing up on the field where he’s getting frustrated and now his effort changes because he feels like he can’t get a call here and he’s getting held every time, that would be a concern,” Franklin said at his weekly presser. “But the guy is playing with a phenomenal motor.
“For us, we try to spend time talking about real football people studying the tape. NFL scouts, GMs, other college coaches, and when you watch the tape, the guy is impactful. Whether it’s sacks, whether it’s tackles for loss, whether it’s holding calls, whether it is that they have a specific plan for how they’re trying to limit his impact, keeping tight ends in, keeping running backs in, always sliding in his direction so there’s a double team between the tackle and guard, he is impacting the game in a number of ways. That creates opportunities for other guys on our defense and causes a lot of headaches. He’s been great. His attitude’s been great. He’s coachable. He’s becoming more and more of a leader every single day.
“I’m more focused on how he’s impacting the game and his effort and his motor, and those things are at a really, really high level. And I think a lot of people are noticing it.”
Notes: Penn State’s home game against Maryland on Nov. 30 will be a 3:30 p.m. kickoff, the Big Ten announced Monday. The game will air on the Big Ten Network. … Penn State senior tight end Tyler Warren was named Big Ten offensive player of the week after he had eight catches and a touchdown and ran for 63 yards and a score against Purdue. It was his second weekly honor from the Big Ten this season.