DALLAS (FWAA) – Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter was an unwanted nemesis in the Illinois backfield last Saturday, logging a career-high four tackles for loss as well as two sacks as the Nittany Lions won their Big Ten Conference opener, 21-7. For his efforts in shutting down the upstart Illini, Carter earned the Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week honor for games played the weekend of Sept. 28, as selected by the Football Writers Association of America.
Each week during the regular season, the FWAA has selected a Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week since 2001. The FWAA and the Charlotte Touchdown Club will announce finalists for the 2024 Bronko Nagurski Trophy on Nov. 20. The national defensive player of the year will be chosen from those finalists who are part of the 2024 FWAA All-America Team and presented with the trophy at the Bronko Nagurski Awards Banquet on Dec. 9 at the Charlotte Convention Center.
Players may be added or removed from the Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch list during the season. If a player isn’t already on the preseason watch list – Carter was a part of the preseason list – each week’s honored player will be added at that time.
Carter led the defensive front as the Nittany Lions (4-0) held Illinois to minus-19 rushing yards in the second half. Illinois gained only 59 total yards in the second half, and extending that span to the 1:41 mark of the second quarter, Illinois gained only 39 and finished with 34 yards on the ground. It was another outstanding effort for Penn State, which had seven sacks and 13 total tackles for losses in the game and still has yet to give up a point in the third quarter. PSU lists second in the country having given up only nine total points after halftime this season.
The 6-3 junior from Philadelphia made the switch from linebacker to defensive end this season and has been opponents’ terror this season. The sacks and TFL’s against Illinois earned Carter the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honor, and he is currently tied for the Big Ten lead with 6.5 tackles for loss, 18th nationally, and is tied for fourth in the conference with three sacks.
Carter now has four career games with 2-plus tackles for loss and three games with 2-plus sacks in this his third season at Penn State. He also owns 123 tackles (73 solo), 22.5 tackles for loss, 14 sacks, four forced fumbles, an interception and 10 pass breakups in his career. He was one of 13 Nittany Lions defenders to earn All-Big Ten honors in 2023.
As Carter guides them from the edge, Penn State is fourth in the nation in total defense (226.5 ypg) and seventh in scoring defense (11.5 ppg) and rushing defense (72.0). It is fourth in the country in yards per carry yielded (2.3) and fifth in yards per play (3.91) and are in the top 20 in first downs allowed (62, 11th), passing defense (14th, 154.5) and pass efficiency defense (16th, 104.5).
Penn State hosts UCLA at noon ET Saturday on FOX.
The FWAA All-America Committee, after voting input from the association’s full membership, selects a 26-man All-America Team and eventually the Bronko Nagurski Trophy finalists. The Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner will be chosen from the finalists named in November. Committee members, by individual ballot, select the winner they regard as the best defensive player in college football.
The FWAA has chosen a National Defensive Player of the Year since 1993. In 1995, the FWAA named the award in honor of the legendary two-way player from the University of Minnesota. Nagurski dominated college football, then became a star for professional football’s Chicago Bears in the 1930s. Bronislaw "Bronko" Nagurski is a charter member of both the College Football and Pro Football Halls of Fame.
The Bronko Nagurski Trophy is a member of the National College Football Awards Association. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA includes college football’s most prestigious awards and its 24 awards have honored more than 900 recipients dating back to 1935. This season, 13 NCFAA awards will honor national players of the week each Tuesday. For more information about the NCFAA and its award programs, visit NCFAA.org or follow on X at @NCFAA.
The Charlotte Touchdown Club is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization founded in 1990 for the purpose of promoting high school, collegiate, and professional football in the Charlotte, North Carolina region. Since its inception, the club has grown as well as diversified boasting a sponsor team of more than (80) companies. The Club's activities and services focus community attention on the outstanding Citizenship, Scholarship, Sportsmanship, and Leadership of area athletes and coaches. Through individual and corporate support, more than $3,000,000 has been raised and donated to benefit the Touchdown Club's scholarship efforts.
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Founded in 1941, the Football Writers Association of America consists of 1,300 men and women who cover college football. The membership includes journalists, broadcasters and publicists, as well as key executives in all the areas that involve the game. The FWAA works to govern areas that include game-day operations, major awards and its annual All-America team. For more information about the FWAA and its award programs, contact Steve Richardson at tiger@fwaa.com.