Rocco Becht didn’t hide from the mess after Penn State’s 34-13 loss to Northwestern last Friday. He put the performance on himself and sounded like a quarterback trying to talk his way through a rough stretch in real time.
"I'n better than that," Becht said after the Nittany Lions' 34-13 loss. "I've just got to look myself in the mirror and ask, 'Why am I doing this?
Why am I here?' and not sulk but continue to raise myself up, continue to get better week in and wek out and know why I'm missing these throws right now."
That kind of frustration fits what Penn State’s offense has looked like in its first two Big Ten games. The Nittany Lions were sharp enough early in the season, but once conference play started, everything seemed to tighten up at once. The numbers tell the story in a hurry.
Becht opened the year rolling. After the non-conference slate, he was third nationally in pass-efficiency rating at 215.29 and sat in the top 10 in completion percentage at 70.3.
Since then, the Big Ten has been a different world. In losses to Wisconsin and Northwestern, his passer rating has dropped to 93.28 and his completion percentage has slid to 54.3.
The downfield production has taken an even bigger hit. Becht averaged 11.7 yards per attempt through the first three games. Without big-play receiver Koby Howard in Big Ten play, that number has fallen all the way to 5.1.
The rhythm has gone missing too. Becht, a fourth-year starter, hadn’t completed more than three straight passes in Big Ten play until the second quarter against Northwestern. That kind of inconsistency has made the offense look out of sync from snap to snap.
Pressure and contact at the line have been part of the problem as well. Wisconsin and Northwestern combined to break up 14 of Becht’s passes, with the Wildcats getting a hand on four at the line. Two of his three interceptions were tipped at the line of scrimmage.
Penn State’s pass catchers have still found space, but the execution hasn’t matched it. Against Wisconsin, Becht underthrew an open Brett Eskildsen on the left sideline that could have gone for a game-sealing touchdown.
At Northwestern, he overthrew an open Zay Robinson on that same sideline. In Big Ten play, Becht is just 5-for-17 on passes of 15-plus yards.
The connection issues have shown up in the target distribution, too. Becht threw to Eskildsen six times against Wisconsin and didn’t complete a pass to him. Against Northwestern, he hit Chase Sowell with a 26-yard strike on Penn State’s first offensive play, but after that he went 4-for-11 throwing to Sowell, who was not charged with a drop.
The deep-ball drought has been stark. In two Big Ten games, Becht has completed only two passes of 20-plus yards, both to Sowell. He had 16 such completions during the non-conference schedule.
The run game has fallen apart just as badly. Penn State averaged 205 rushing yards per game in its first three contests, including a 304-yard explosion against Buffalo in Week 3. Since entering Big Ten play, that part of the offense has gone quiet.
Against Wisconsin and Northwestern, the Nittany Lions are averaging 83.5 rushing yards per game and 2.9 yards per carry. The low point came at New Ryan Field, where Penn State managed a season-low 48 rushing yards at 2.2 per attempt.
That wasn’t just the result of chasing points after falling behind. Penn State ran the ball four times for 6 yards in the first quarter and 14 times for 26 yards in the first half against Northwestern. The ground game never got going.
The longest runs in Big Ten play have both belonged to Becht, who scrambled for 19 yards against Wisconsin and 10 against Northwestern. Among running backs, James Peoples’ 9-yard run against Wisconsin is the longest carry so far in conference play.
Penn State now turns to USC on Saturday night at Beaver Stadium, where the 19th-ranked Trojans will visit for the White Out. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC’s Big Ten Saturday Night.
In Other News...
Penn State Fans Wont Like What An In-State Rival Coach Said
Pat Narduzzi had plenty to say after Pitts close win over Virginia Tech, and much of it was bound to land with Penn State fans as a familiar jab from across the state. The Pitt coach addressed a controversial missed field goal in that game, then turned his attention to the AP Top 25, questioning Penn States placement despite the recent losses that have piled up for the Nittany Lions.
Narduzzi also used the moment to make a case for his own program, pointing to Pitts undefeated start and current ranking as proof his team deserves more respect. It was the latest reminder that the tension between Pitt and Penn State remains very much alive, with Narduzzi continuing a public back-and-forth that has long carried extra weight in a rivalry shaped by him and former Penn State coach James Franklin. [Read more 🡒]
Penn States Early Big Ten Slide Suddenly Looks Like A Bigger Problem
Two weeks into Big Ten play, the leagues shape is already starting to tell a familiar story at the top, with the conference heavyweights still looking the part while some of the preseason contenders are scrambling to catch up. Penn State is in that second group after an uneven start that has made the early standings feel less like a snapshot and more like a warning sign, especially with the Big Tens path to multiple College Football Playoff bids depending on its best teams stacking wins and avoiding the kind of stumbles that can linger all fall.
The Nittany Lions are not alone in that bind, but their position carries extra weight because expectations were so high before league play began. Washington is facing its own early trouble, and several coaching situations around the conference are already under a sharper spotlight, yet Penn States slide stands out because it changes the margin for error so quickly. If the league is going to earn the depth it needs at the top, the teams that were supposed to anchor it cannot keep giving ground this early. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Just Lost The Spotlight For A Huge Michigan Trip
Penn States trip to Michigan on October 17 no longer has the feel of a late-night showcase. The Big Ten announced the game at Michigan Stadium will kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET, pulling it out of the prime-time window many had anticipated and shifting some of the national spotlight away from what had shaped up as one of the leagues more intriguing midseason matchups.
It still carries plenty of weight in the Big Ten race, though. Both teams are 0-2 in conference play, which is the first time that has happened to Penn State since it joined the league in 1993, and that makes the meeting even more important for two programs trying to steady themselves. Before that trip, Penn State gets its own marquee stage Saturday night, hosting No. 19 USC in a White Out game at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCs Big Ten Saturday Night. [Read more 🡒]