When Penn State took Rocco Becht out midway through the third quarter Saturday at Beaver Stadium, it wasn’t because the day had gone sideways. It was because he had already put the game away.
Becht was sharp from the start against Marshall, finishing 13 of 18 for 271 yards with four touchdown passes and no interceptions. Each score went to a different target, and the touchdown parade started early: a 42-yard strike to Koby Howard in the first quarter, then a 25-yard connection with longtime Iowa State teammate Brett Eskildsen that pushed Penn State ahead by three scores with 4:49 left in the opening quarter.
Before halftime, Becht found another former Cyclone, tight end Ben Brahmer, on an 8-yard touchdown with 1:18 remaining to turn the matchup into a blowout. Then, on Penn State’s first possession of the second half, he hit a third former Iowa State player, receiver Zay Robinson, for a 39-yard touchdown that ended up being his final snap of the day.
With Penn State up 31-0, there was no reason to keep Becht out there, and Matt Campbell turned to backup Alex Manske.
The performance fit the way Campbell had described Becht during fall camp. Becht is now in his fifth college football season overall and fourth as a starting quarterback, and Campbell - who coached him throughout his time at Iowa State - said he believed the quarterback was “in a completely different space than I’ve seen him really in his career.“
Campbell said, “What Rocco brings to the table is a guy that’s already gone through the highs of college football, the lows of college football,”
He added, “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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Matt Campbells first game as Penn States head coach drew plenty of attention beyond the usual season-opening buzz, because it gave fans their first real look at what the program might look like under his watch. After taking over in December as the 17th head coach in school history, Campbell arrived with the kind of reputation that tends to stir big expectations in Happy Valley, and plenty of people in the stands against Marshall were eager to see whether the program would feel different right away.
What stood out most was the reaction in the stadium, where many fans seemed to buy into the idea that Penn State was leaning back toward tradition and toughness. The hope around the program was obvious, even if the range of expectations was wide, with some already projecting a strong season and others treating this as the beginning of a longer transition. Either way, the first impression mattered, and it was clear plenty of eyes were on how Campbells version of Penn State would handle the early weeks. [Read more 🡒]
Penn States Defense Already Has A Freshman Forcing Big Decisions
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Matt Campbell has pointed to Zayas versatility and the way he has made impactful plays in practice, and the early returns carried over into game action. He showed up around the line of scrimmage with tackles for loss and held up in coverage well enough to earn more trust, even with a few minor mistakes mixed in. For Penn State, the bigger question now is how much responsibility a freshman can absorb as the games get tougher. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State May Have Found A Defensive Upgrade Fans Didn't Expect
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Bacon has been spending time with the defensive line coaches to sharpen his pass-rushing work, which is the part of the transition that will matter most as the season unfolds. If he keeps building on that debut, Penn State may have stumbled into a useful upgrade in a place where production can change the feel of the entire defense. [Read more 🡒]