Matt Campbell isn’t ready to throw Rocco Becht under the bus, even after a rough night against Wisconsin.
Becht’s line in Penn State’s 24-20 Week 4 win was ugly: 12 completions on 29 attempts for 114 yards and an interception. The Penn State offense as a whole sputtered, managing just one touchdown, and that score came after Daryus Dixson set the drive up with an interception at the Wisconsin 11-yard line.
Still, Campbell came to his quarterback’s defense.
“I think Rocco, and it'll be interesting to answer that question probably even a little bit better after you watch the videotape. But I thought Rocco made some tremendous plays.
I thought he kept us in the football game. You know, some scrambles that were timely, some scrambles and throws.
Felt like some of our issues were probably more so with some protection things, where, you know, even that ball was tipped. It wasn't a ball that was like a bad or a poor decision.
It was a tipped pass. So I really thought Rocco played, I thought, a really good football game for the most part.
Again, we'll have to, I'll answer that better after I watch the video tonight.”
That’s a more tempered answer than it first sounds, but it still lands as a firm public backing of a quarterback who never looked settled and admitted afterward that he wasn’t at his best.
“I’ve got to be better for the offense. I’ve got to be better for this team.”
Campbell’s loyalty to Becht isn’t hard to trace. Becht started 39 games for Iowa State over the last three years and played much of last season with two shoulder injuries, one of which needed surgery after the year ended. He’s been through plenty with Campbell and followed him almost immediately from Ames to Happy Valley.
That history matters. Behind Brock Purdy, Becht is the best quarterback Campbell has ever coached, and that kind of relationship usually buys a little grace. Campbell is not going to publicly torch him after one loss, even if Becht was one of the biggest reasons the offense looked stuck.
The bigger issue is that the problems around Becht have been there for a while. His struggles in the red zone have lingered, and while a rushing touchdown helped, he still didn’t look comfortable firing into tight windows. Against Wisconsin, that uncertainty showed up everywhere else too.
Campbell can defend him in front of the microphones. Behind the scenes, the message is probably different. Fans may not love hearing it, but the public stance makes sense.
The problem is that Penn State can’t wait long for Becht to find the next gear.
Northwestern is next on Friday, and while that may not sound like a brutal draw, the Wildcats pushed Indiana hard on Friday. Chip Kelly is calling the plays there, and former Oregon State and Michigan State quarterback Aidan Chiles is starting to look like the highly touted four-star recruit people expected.
Then comes USC in Happy Valley for the White Out. After that, Penn State goes to Ann Arbor.
Becht isn’t the only issue on offense, but he’s close to the top of the list, and he and offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser have to find answers fast. Star wide receiver Koby Howard won’t be back until Week 7 at the earliest, and by then the season could already be looking too familiar, sitting at 3-3 and 0-3 in Big Ten play.
In Other News...
Penn State Already Faces An Uncomfortable Question About Life After Franklin
Penn States stumble at Beaver Stadium against Wisconsin in Matt Campbells Big Ten debut as head coach put an immediate spotlight on what life looks like after James Franklin. Coaching changes are never clean, especially when a new leader is being asked to steady a program with expectations as high as Penn States. Campbell arrives with a reputation as a builder, the kind of coach who needs time to shape a team in his image rather than simply patching over what came before.
For the Nittany Lions, the uncomfortable part is not just that the transition has begun, but that recent results have already started to look more fragile than the standard Franklin set in earlier years. This is the part of a changeover that programs hope to avoid, when every loss turns into a referendum on the new era and every uneven performance invites comparisons to the old one. Penn State is only at the beginning of that process, but the pressure to show progress is already very real. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Has A Scheduling Problem Fans Cant Ignore
Penn State had plenty to feel good about when it took a 17-0 lead into halftime, but the second half against Wisconsin turned into a reminder that early control does not always mean a game is secure. The offense managed only a field goal after the break, while Wisconsin kept chipping away and eventually put up 24 points to flip the result. Matt Campbell acknowledged the missed opportunities afterward, and the loss fit a familiar pattern for a team that can look polished before the pressure really ramps up.
That is why the conversation around the Nittany Lions non-conference slate has become hard to ignore. An easier early schedule can help a team build confidence and stack wins, but it can also hide flaws that only show up once the calendar turns and the opponents get stronger. For Penn State, the concern is not just the loss itself, but whether the schedule has given a truer picture of what this team is before the tougher conference tests arrive. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State's Offense Hit A Troubling Low In Loss To Wisconsin
Penn States offense has had uneven stretches this season, but the loss to Wisconsin brought a new low in the grading as well as the scoreboard. Pro Football Focus gave the unit its worst mark of the year, while the defense, which held up far better, posted its second-highest grade of the season and had one of the days biggest bright spots in freshman Josiah Zayas.
Zayas finished with the top defensive grade on the team after returning an interception for a touchdown, a play that briefly gave Penn State some life. The other side of the ball told a harsher story, with quarterback Rocco Becht turning in a rough outing and several offensive linemen also drawing season-low grades, leaving the offense searching for answers after another frustrating night. [Read more 🡒]