The Orange Bowl is underway, and Abdul Carter is out there making plays with a banged-up shoulder. He has plenty of motivation, of course, with a trip to the national title game on the line. But, just in case he needed more, Penn State’s #11 got some added motivation from a couple of Penn State star linebacker who wore his number before him.

Penn State All-America defensive end Abdul Carter has taken the field as a starter for Thursday night’s College Football Playoff semifinal against Notre Dame at the Orange Bowl, after days of speculation about whether he would be available.

NFL super-agent Drew Rosenhaus gave an update on Abdul Carter's health just hours before kickoff at the Orange Bowl.

Typically, Penn State head coach James Franklin doesn’t discuss injuries on his team unless they are long-term. However, Franklin knows that Abdul Carter’s status ahead of the College Football Playoff Semifinals warrants plenty of intrigue across the sport.

Three of those linebackers met up Thursday before Penn State took on Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl. Posing together pregame were LaVarr Arrington (an All-American, the Bednarik winner and a ninth-place Heisman finisher in 1999),