At 0-4, Penn State linebacker Jesse Luketa remains resolute. At the same time, he doesn’t sugarcoat his team’s poor start.

“Our confidence level is still there,” Luketa said during a video conference with media Tuesday. “There is a Penn State standard, and there’s no reason for us to have a drop off. We’re currently not where we want to be, but we know that. All of that is in the past right now. The only thing to be focused on is assuring we do what we need to do to tackle these next five days and finish strong. We’re hungry. We’re resilient. And we know what we need to do. We want to play ball.”

With four games remaining, the best Penn State can hope for is to go .500 during the regular season. That is seemingly a ho-hum goal for a team which entered the season with aspirations of potentially winning the Big Ten conference’s title or even qualifying for the NCAA’s postseason tournament.

Regardless, Luketa and his teammates appear eager simply to practice, let alone play.

“Just our preparation,” said Luketa, a native of Ottawa who graduated from Mercyhurst Prep in Erie. “Attacking today. … Tuesday, Wednesday, our Thursdays and even our Fridays with that mindset. It begins even before it begins. That’s our mindset. That’s my mindset, especially. That’s the message that I’m spreading throughout the locker room and the message that I’m going to make sure that we all (listen to).”

Little of that message appears to have translated to the field during games, however.

“I can’t pinpoint exactly why it is,” Luketa said. “We haven’t been able to execute as much as we want to. Attention to detail, that’s the biggest thing. We need to be detail-oriented and clean up the little things because clearly, it’s catching up to us. We’ve got to put an end to that. This week is a great opportunity to get over that hump.”

That hump this week comes in the form of a home contest against Iowa at Beaver Stadium on Saturday.

Iowa is one of the better rushing teams in the conference with 733 yards on 135 carries, third-best in the Big Ten. Running back Tyler Goodson is second in the conference with 375 yards on 63 carries.

Luketa knows what to expect from Iowa.

“Iowa, that’s their bread and butter,” Luketa said. “They love to run the football. That’s what Penn State football, especially our defense, something that we pride our selves in, stopping the run. It’s going to be a fun game. Their (running) backs are talented, quick individuals who can get out to open space and make people miss. … It’s going to be a physical game. It’s going to be a four-quarter game.”

If Penn State is to pull the nose up and finish with a 4-4 record, greater contributions will be needed from everyone. Even a captain such as Luketa, who is fourth on the team in tackles with 24 (13 solo, 11 assisted).

“In areas where I feel as if I need to tidy up, I would say at times coming up faster and securing tackles,” Luketa said. “I feel I’m a guy that whenever I do hit a ball carrier, they feel that impact. So I need to be more consistent with my tackles and make sure they are secure. Not at times where I get my (helmet) on a ball and make a bit hit to force that fumble. Just secure my tackles. That’s an area I need to be better in.”

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