Rocco Becht walked out of Michigan with the kind of line no quarterback wants attached to his name: three turnovers, three Michigan touchdowns off those mistakes, and another painful loss for Penn State.
The Nittany Lions fell 21-18 on Saturday in Ann Arbor, dropping to 3-4 after opening the season 3-0. Penn State is also 0-4 in the Big Ten, and the schedule ahead now comes out of the bye week with home games against Purdue, Minnesota and Rutgers and road trips to Washington and Maryland.
Becht did not hide from the frustration afterward. The fifth-year senior, who has been through a four-game skid before, said the day hit hard.
“It’s rough. This game is super-humbling, that’s why you play, that’s why you love it,” Becht said.
“For me, I’ve been in this position before last year. I got out of it, so I’m going to be strong, I know this team’s going to be strong.
“We’re continuing to get better just not having the results we want. But it will come. I know that, for sure.”
Becht’s rough afternoon started to unravel in the second half. He threw two interceptions and lost a fumble, and Michigan turned each giveaway into a touchdown.
One of the picks came early in the third quarter on a diving play by a Michigan defensive back near the Wolverines’ sideline at the Penn State 43. The other was a costly mistake with the Lions driving at the Michigan 26. On a third-and-two from the Wolverines’ 32, Becht tried a short throw to the left intended for Gabe Burkle, but the ball never got over Chris Bracy, who snagged it cleanly.
Michigan finished the possession with an 11-play, 74-yard march capped by a one-yard touchdown run from Jordan Marshall, pushing the Wolverines ahead 14-3 late in the third quarter.
“The second (interception), tried to get it out there to the left, late,” Becht said.
“Obviously, wasn’t on time with it. Third and two, gotta be able to use my legs there.”
Then came the fumble late in the fourth quarter, with Penn State down 14-11. Becht was sacked at the Lions’ 16 by Bracy, and Michigan’s Enow Etta recovered. The Wolverines turned that into their third touchdown when backup quarterback Tommy Carr scored on a 12-yard run with 2:58 remaining.
“That (fumble), the guy made a play coming from behind,” Becht said.
“Didn’t see him. Just got unlucky with hit. It happens and it’s humbling and you gotta continue to move forward.”
Becht has not found much rhythm in the Big Ten losses, with just three touchdown passes and five interceptions. Saturday added another brutal note to that stat line.
Still, Penn State coach Matt Campbell made it clear he is not looking elsewhere at quarterback.
“I have complete faith in who Rocco Becht is and what he’s about,” Campbell said.
“Nobody’s more devastated than that guy right now in that locker room. But the reality of it is that’s the position he plays.”
Becht also pointed to his own past, saying he has already lived through a similar stretch. In 2025, when he was Iowa State’s quarterback, the Cyclones dropped four straight to Cincinnati, Colorado, BYU and Arizona State.
“I went through it last year, and I wasn’t expecting to go through it again,” Becht said Saturday, referring to two seasons with four-game losing streaks.
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