Rocco Becht didn’t need much time to make Penn State’s first impression of him a memorable one.
By the time the third quarter was halfway gone Saturday at Beaver Stadium, the new PSU quarterback was already on the sideline, his work essentially done after a sharp, efficient debut against Marshall. Penn State had built such a comfortable cushion that coach Matt Campbell could turn to backup Alex Manske with the Nittany Lions up 31-0 and Becht having already carved up the Thundering Herd.
Becht finished 13 of 18 for 271 yards and four touchdowns, and he spread the ball around to four different targets. There were no interceptions, no wasted throws and no sign of a quarterback easing his way into a new situation.
His first touchdown came midway through the opening quarter, a 42-yard strike to Koby Howard. Not long after, Becht connected for 25 yards with Brett Eskildsen, his longtime Iowa State teammate, to push Penn State ahead by three scores with 4:49 left in the first quarter. Just before halftime, he found another former Cyclone, tight end Ben Brahmer, on an 8-yard touchdown with 1:18 remaining in the half.
Then, on Penn State’s first possession of the second half, Becht delivered once more, hitting receiver Zay Robinson - another former Iowa State player - for a 39-yard touchdown. That was the final snap of his afternoon.
Becht is no stranger to the stage. This is his fifth college football season overall and his fourth as a starting quarterback, so the moment wasn’t too big for him. Even so, Campbell said during fall camp that he believed Becht was “in a completely different space than I’ve seen him really in his career.“
Saturday’s performance backed that up.
“What Rocco brings to the table is a guy that’s already gone through the highs of college football, the lows of college football,” Campbell said.
“If the entire locker room is willing to fight for the quarterback, then you got a pretty special leader on your hands,” Campbell said. “And I think he’s done a really good job in his competitiveness, his leadership, to come in and really demand that respect of the football team, and I think it’s shown by the way he’s played in fall camp.”
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James Franklin Debate Just Got New Fuel From Former Penn State OC
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Rahne pointed to the sanctions Franklin inherited as part of the backdrop that shaped the early years of the job, while also giving Bill O'Brien credit for the recruiting foundation he left behind. He acknowledged that Franklin has not delivered a national championship, but framed his tenure around passion and steady winning, the kind of rsum that keeps the debate alive whenever Penn States bigger-picture expectations come back into focus. [Read more 🡒]
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Penn States Next Opponent Looks More Vulnerable Than Expected
Temple is heading into its matchup with Penn State in a far shakier spot than it wanted this early in the season. Coach K.C. Keeler said starting left tackle Giakoby Hills will miss six weeks after getting hurt in the opener, a significant blow to an offensive line that now has to adjust on the fly against one of the most demanding fronts it will see all year.
The uncertainty does not stop there. Starting right tackle Kevin Terry is a game-time decision for the Penn State game, and Keeler still has not named a starting quarterback, with Jaxon Smolik and Ajani Sheppard competing for the job. For Penn State, that makes this a matchup worth watching beyond the final score, because Temple could be piecing together key spots just to get through the afternoon. [Read more 🡒]