Abdul Carter stats last night: A look at Penn State Edge’s performance against Notre Dame

The Penn State Nittany Lions edge rusher Abdul Carter has been one of the team's strongest defensive weapons all season long. This season, Carter has recorded 43 tackles and an impressive 12 sacks.

Carter played in the Nittany Lions' defeat to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish last night. This game was part of the College Football Playoff semi-finals, meaning that, with the defeat, they will not be making the national championship game.

But how did Abdul Carter fare in this game?

Abdul Carter Orange Bowl stats

According to stats from Pro Football Focus, Carter recorded the following:

• 1.0 Sacks
• 7 QB Pressures
• 22% Pressure Rate
• 3 Run Stops

This is paired with the five tackles he made during the game.

This tells us that Carter was a problem for the Notre Dame offense, especially quarterback Riley Leonard.

Leonard has shown in the past that he can struggle to deliver on offense when he is under pressure, throwing many interceptions and being sacked a lot this season.

This game was no exception, and Abdul Carter played a large part in limiting the Notre Dame offense. To give further praise, Carter was doing this with an injured shoulder that may have prevented him from playing in the game.

However, his contributions, despite notable, would not be enough to stop Notre Dame. The Nittany Lions had a strong defense, but a late mistake from quarterback Drew Allar handed possession back to the Fighting Irish.

Notre Dame would kick the winning field goal to put them into the national championship game, where they will face either the Texas Longhorns or the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Abdul Carter declares for the NFL draft

This game would not only be the final game of the season for Abdul Carter but would be his final game in college. On Friday, Carter declared for the 2025 NFL Draft, foregoing his final year of eligibility.

Carter is likely to be a top defensive prospect as he led the country in sacks this season. Speaking of Carter, CBS Sports analyst Mike Renner described Carter as the following:

"I see only a few true blue-chip prospects in this class, and Carter is one of them. His twitch is remarkable for a man his size. The Panthers simply need any talent they can get at this point -- especially on the defensive side of the ball."

But now that he has declared for the NFL draft, where is he projected to go?

NFL Draft Buzz says that Carter is the best edge rusher in the class and the second best defensive Linesman. The site predicts that Carter is likely to be a top 10 pick and a definite first rounder.