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TAMPA - In the aftermath of Penn State's 24-10 loss to Arkansas in the Outback Bowl on Saturday, Nittany Lion linebacker-defensive end Jesse Luketa said he hadn't made a decision on the 2022 season.
An hour later, he thanked Penn State on Twitter and said he's moving on to the NFL.
Luketa made nine tackles against the Razorbacks and provided leadership for a defense that was missing six starters because Luketa's teammates decided to forgo the game and/or were injured.
"It was tough, losing guys to opt-outs," he said. "These (first-time starters) are hungry. I was proud of how they responded."
James Franklin appreciated Luketa's efforts and said he would endorse him to the next level.
"I'm a huge Jesse Luketa fan," Franklin said. "I will pound the table for him with every single NFL team, GM, coaches. He's a great teammate."
Explaining fake
Leading 10-7 and facing fourth-and-13 at the Hogs' 36, Penn State initially lined up for a 54-yard field goal late in the first half, and after an Arkansas timeout, Jordan Stout was in punt formation with the other Lions all split equally out wide. Something was up.
Stout threw a pass into the end zone that Arkansas intercepted and then dropped, giving the Hogs possession at their 36 with a minute left.
"We didn't feel good about kicking it (54-yard FG)," Franklin said. "We had a fake in the game plan. Felt like in that situation we would either get a pass interference call or I was hoping they would catch the interception, which would have been as good as a punt."
Jake Pinegar went 1-for-2 on field goals, missing badly from 50 and kicking a 33-yarder. Franklin said Pinegar became the kicker at Michigan State (after Stout missed an extra point and a field goal in a 30-27 loss).
"We made that change to take some off of Stout's plate," Franklin said. "Stout had punted and kicked off really well all year long. We were a little inconsistent with the field goal game. So we made that change at the end of the season."
Stout is expected to leave for the NFL, and Pinegar has another year of eligibility.
Lorig on the move?
Franklin confirmed Saturday that special teams coach Joe Lorig is "being pursued" for a position at Oregon.
"We'll see how that plays out," he said. "There's a lot of things that factor into this, some professional and some personal. I've been pretty adamant in the past about lateral moves, but there's also some factors when it comes to where guys are from. Both Joe and his wife are from there."
Notable
■ Attendance was 46,577. On the Lions' last trip to the Outback in 2011, the crowd was 60,574. PSU drew 65,000-plus in previous Outback appearances (2007, 1996).
■ The Nittany Lions are 3-2 in Outback Bowl appearances, 12-9 vs. the SEC in bowl games and 14-11-1 on New Year's Day.