Matt Campbell isn’t blinking at quarterback - at least not yet.
After two rough Big Ten outings, Campbell said Friday night that Rocco Becht remains Penn State’s starter, even after a second straight game in which the offense sputtered and the quarterback came up short on a handful of critical throws.
Becht’s first two conference games in a Penn State uniform have been a far cry from the run he put together at Iowa State, where he won 26 games as the Cyclones’ starter. He is 3-2 since taking over at Penn State, but 0-2 in the Big Ten, and the numbers against Wisconsin and Northwestern tell the story.
Against Wisconsin in a 24-20 loss at Beaver Stadium, Becht finished 12 of 29 for 114 yards. He then went 26 for 41 in Penn State’s 34-13 loss to Northwestern on Friday night at new Ryan Field. Over those two games, he has thrown one touchdown pass and been intercepted three times.
The missed chances piled up in both losses. Late against Wisconsin, Becht underthrew Brett Eskildsen on a deep ball in the fourth quarter with Penn State ahead 20-10. The throw had a chance to seal the game with a touchdown, but it was broken up instead.
Against Northwestern, he sailed an errant pass to Chase Sowell in the first half on a play that could have produced a big gain. Later, in the third quarter with Penn State down 24-7, he couldn’t connect with a wide-open Zay Robinson for what would have been a touchdown.
Campbell kept Becht on the field late into the fourth quarter even after the game was out of reach, and backup quarterback Alex Manske never entered.
Afterward, Campbell made it clear he isn’t ready to make a switch.
“Rocco, we have great belief in, just like I have belief in all of our players,” Campbell said.
“We gotta find answers and we gotta get it fixed fast.”
Campbell also pointed back to Becht’s track record at Iowa State, saying the quarterback has shown he can respond when things go sideways.
“I think Rocco’s experience, No. 1,” Campbell said.
“I think Rocco’s proven that he can work through a football game where it’s not perfect, and having the ability to adjust within the football game.
“To be honest with you, Rocco’s worked through hard before, and he’s proven he’s got a great ability to do it.”
In Other News...
Penn State Fans Have Another Saquon Barkley Reason To Be Miserable
Saquon Barkleys latest exit from a game with the Rams was the kind of sight that makes Penn State fans wince, because it came with an apparent hamstring injury and no return to action after the first quarter. For a player whose career has already included a major ACL tear in 2020, any lower-body issue carries extra weight, especially when it involves a part of the body that can linger for weeks before a running back is truly back to full speed.
For Penn State, the timing only adds to the unease. The Nittany Lions are already staring at a difficult stretch ahead with USC and Michigan on the schedule, and recent losses have left the seasons outlook cloudy. Losing even the conversation around one of the programs most recognizable stars to another injury scare is the sort of development that keeps the mood around State College uneasy, even before the next kickoff arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Already Has A Problem Fans Didn't Expect
Penn States early-season picture has changed fast, and not in the way fans expected when a new era began under Matt Campbell. By Week 5, the Nittany Lions were already dealing with back-to-back losses, a jarring turn for a program that entered the fall with far more optimism than this.
The setback lands in a week packed with head-turning college football moments elsewhere, from South Carolinas collapse against Kentucky to Michigans offensive trouble after losing to Iowa. Even the broader sport has been in motion, with Foxs Big Noon Kickoff and Barstool Sports parting ways, but for Penn State the focus is closer to home now, where the pressure is already building and the questions around this team are starting to pile up. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Suddenly Has A Credibility Problem Fans Can't Ignore
Penn States rough stretch has turned what looked like a promising season into a much tougher sell. The 34-13 loss to Northwestern sent the Nittany Lions out of the Coaches Poll entirely, a sharp fall for a program that opened the year ranked and expected to stay in the national picture under new coach Matt Campbell.
The schedule does not offer much time to linger on the setback. USC and Michigan are next, and those matchups will give Penn State a chance to reestablish itself against high-profile opponents and climb back toward the top 25, but only if the Nittany Lions start looking like a different team than the one that just slipped against Northwestern. [Read more 🡒]