Lions feel Luketa's absence after targeting ejection in Indiana loss
Penn State celebrated like it had earned a turnover.
A swarm of Nittany Lions had converged on Indiana wide receiver Miles Marshall, the ball had popped free, and Penn State safety Lamont Wade pounced on it.
The momentum, for just a second, looked to be with the Nittany Lions after they'd spent the better part of three quarters making silly mistakes that kept them from finding a rhythm.
They'd just scored a touchdown to pull within three points, and looked to be getting the ball right back with a chance to tie or take the lead.
But before long, a piece of yellow cloth on the field halted the good feelings.
A replay clearly showed that linebacker Jesse Luketa made helmet-to-helmet contact with Marshall, who went to the locker room and did not return.
The ball stayed with Indiana with a 15-yard penalty to boot, and, even worse, Luketa was disqualified from the game for targeting.
"That was a takeaway we had," Wade said postgame. "I felt like, honestly, that takeaway right there, it would have took the momentum out of them, and kind of swung the momentum in our way. With him getting ejected and them getting the ball back, they kind of juiced up on that momentum."
Left with the ball at the Penn State 26-yard line as a result of Luketa's mistake, Indiana went on to kick a field goal to extend its lead to 20-14 early in the fourth quarter.
It seemed like a minor victory for Penn State at the time, but in a game that ended knotted at 28 after 60 minutes, those three points proved crucial.
The targeting call was part of an uncharacteristic rash of penalties for the Nittany Lions, who committed 10 of them for 100 yards. Indiana, by comparison, was booked just four times for 36 yards.
"To me, it's turnovers and penalties," Penn State coach James Franklin said. "I would hope that you guys would agree that, over the last six years, that's very uncharacteristic for us."
Luketa's penalty left the Nittany Lions without one of their starting linebackers — a position group already depleted by Micah Parsons' decision to opt out of the season.
Whether by correlation or coincidence, Luketa's absence changed the game for the Penn State defense.
After it showed little sign of life for the better part of the game, Indiana's offense embarked on a 75-yard, game-tying drive with less than two minutes left in the game. It then scored easily in overtime, adding a pair of two-point conversions in for good measure.
"It was a big difference," Penn State corner Joey Porter Jr. said. "He's a leader for this defense and this team. He's a captain on this team for a reason, he brings a lot of juice and energy. It was a big loss to him, but we've got guys who can step up and play the role. I feel like the guys who stepped up and played a role did their job."
They'll have to do that next week, too.
Luketa's penalty and subsequent ejection will sideline him for the first half of the Ohio State game next week. Lance Dixon, listed as Luketa's backup on the depth chart, played 36 snaps Saturday to help compensate for his absence.
The Nittany Lions will likely lean on Dixon, and one of their favorite mantras, to get them through the first 30 minutes of next week as well.
"It's a next man up mentality," Wade said. "Whoever's next up, has got to perform up to the standard. They don't have no choice."
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