Penn State’s offense has gone from a promising early-season unit to one that keeps running into the same dead ends, and the numbers tell the story. The Nittany Lions are 0-4 in Big Ten play, sitting near the bottom of the conference in multiple offensive categories, including 13th in total offense at 384.1 yards per game and 13th in scoring at 28.7 points per game. In league games only, they’ve dropped all the way to 15th in scoring at 18.5 points per game.
The warning signs were there long before the conference skid began. Head coach Matt Campbell and offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser entered their first season with a quarterback situation that never really got settled in the spring. Starter Rocco Becht was limited while recovering from shoulder surgery, and backup Alex Manske was out after being diagnosed with a heart issue that required surgery in March.
Penn State completely remade its roster, bringing in 62 new players, including Becht and Manske. But the offense never got the kind of spring work it needed. Becht wasn’t available as a full-time starter in practice, Manske didn’t practice at all, and Division III transfer Connor Barry ended up taking most of the live reps last spring.
That uncertainty carries into the present, where questions about Becht’s future at quarterback are starting to surface. Campbell says Manske still isn’t ready, a reality he linked to the amount of time the quarterback has missed over the past two springs, including his freshman year at Iowa State, before he ever practiced at Penn State in fall camp.
"From Alex’s standpoint, we have great belief that he’s going to have a bright future,” Campbell said. “His time will come, and when that time comes, we’ll be excited for that opportunity. But obviously that time is not right now."
Penn State’s red-zone problems also showed up right away, even if the first sign didn’t seem dramatic at the time. In the season opener against Marshall, the Nittany Lions started a drive at midfield and still ended up settling for a short field goal after stalling at the 20-yard line in a 45-0 win. That pattern has kept showing up.
The Nittany Lions have reached the red zone 28 times and scored touchdowns on only 15 of those trips. Their 53.6 percent red-zone touchdown rate ranks 108th nationally, and kicker Ryan Barker has already been asked to handle four field goals from 20-29 yards.
That issue came back to haunt them in Saturday’s 21-18 loss to Michigan. Penn State put together a 16-play, 69-yard drive that lasted nine minutes, only to come away with a field goal from the 6-yard line. Games like that help explain why the Nittany Lions are still searching for their first Big Ten win.
The running game has not provided much relief, either. Penn State brought in Iowa State transfer Carson Hansen and Ohio State transfer James Peoples to strengthen the backfield, but neither has delivered the kind of production the team needed. Hansen came in as the No. 9 running back in the transfer portal, according to the 247Sports Composite, while Peoples was expected to add explosive-play ability.
Instead, neither back has produced a carry of 10 yards or more in Big Ten play. The Nittany Lions are averaging just 2.5 yards per carry in conference games, which puts them last in the league. That inefficiency has been there since early in the season, when Penn State managed only 3.6 yards per carry against Marshall.
Hansen has 72 carries for 278 yards and four touchdowns, while Peoples has 57 carries for 246 yards and two touchdowns. Quinton Martin Jr. and Cam Wallace have combined for just 13 carries in Big Ten play. Until the run game becomes more dependable, the offense will keep putting too much pressure on itself.
Penn State’s receiving corps has had its own turning point. Koby Howard was one of the bright spots during the non-conference stretch, averaging 28.7 yards per catch through the first three games and looking like one of the most dangerous players in the Big Ten.
But Campbell said Howard was injured during the Buffalo game and has missed all four conference games. Campbell added that Howard is "questionable" for the Purdue game on Oct. 31 after the bye week.
Chase Sowell has helped fill the gap in Howard’s absence, but the losses have piled up without him. Once Howard returns, he and Sowell could give Penn State a much more dangerous passing combination.
Becht, meanwhile, started the season with stats that made him look like one of the country’s better quarterbacks. That has not held up in Big Ten play.
Over four conference games, he has completed 59.6 percent of his passes for 913 yards, three touchdowns and five interceptions. Against Michigan, he turned it over three times, and all 21 Wolverines points came off those mistakes.
His 112.05 quarterback rating in conference games ranks 14th in the Big Ten.
Campbell said he isn’t planning to bench him.
"We have complete faith in Rocco Becht," Campbell said. "Rocco has continued to obviously play good football, and there’s times and a couple moments that he would love to have back. That’s part of the game.”
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