When Matt Campbell got the job at Penn State, it became clear quite quickly that his three-year starting quarterback, Rocco Becht, would be following him from Iowa State for a fourth go-round together. The belief that facilitated Becht’s transfer hasn’t waned throughout an 0-4 start to Big Ten play as the head coach of the Nittany Lions, but it seems Campbell’s language around his starting QB is softening.
“I feel very convicted about Rocco,” Matt Campbell said to reporters at his weekly press conference on Tuesday. “There is a lot of good football in there,” echoing a familiar message he’s espoused this year, often to the frustration of the fanbase.
“Man, you watch college football last week, like, when he’s at his best, and when he’s playing good football, he’s giving us a chance to win the games. I think some of the areas where he has to be better to win the games is evident as well, and I think (the bye week) gave us a lot of time and effort to go correct those things and have a great plan moving ourselves forward.”
That small admission of fault on behalf of his quarterback may not sound like much, but it felt like a notable departure from Campbell’s hardline it’s not Rocco’s fault message, which has followed many of the team’s losses, including in Week 7 when all 21 of Michigan’s second-half points came off Becht’s three turnovers.
After that game, Campbell admitted that Becht needed to take better care of the football, but turned the focus to “how that guy continues to compete and fight, and he gave us a chance at the end of the football game.” Tuesday, he seemingly finished that thought, acknowledging that Becht had a lot to do with why the team continues to come up short when it has “a chance at the end of the football game.”
Is Matt Campbell finally admitting to Rocco Becht's faults?
Campbell absolutely still believes that Becht is the answer at quarterback this season, and there’s no reason to believe he’d consider making a change to redshirt freshman backup Alex Manske anytime soon. As much as that change would be beneficial to the future of the program and its understanding of how to handle the offseason, Campbell isn’t going to budge there, at least not yet.
Maybe this is just more of the same, and having not heard the same song and dance last week, it was heard with fresher ears. Ultimately, there is still an implicit trust between coach and quarterback, which I’d argue, at least with the performances on the field this year, isn’t deserved.
Campbell talked about doing a “deep-dive self-evaluation” not just for Becht, but for all of their players. While in the moment on game day, it may feel as though Becht’s competitive nature is willing the team into football games, there’s no way to come away from the deep dive feeling exclusively positive about his play.
“Even Rocco would tell you, fundamentally, there are some things where, you know, it got chaotic at times where he, whether it was a decision-making process or maybe an inaccuracy process, it’s fundamental, it’s coachable, it’s able to get corrected.”
Or is this just more of the same?
There’s a positive spin, no doubt, and maybe it’s just more excuse-making for a quarterback who hasn’t been up to par in the Big Ten, even considering the difficult circumstances he’s been thrust into. But I believe this was a slight shift in tone and one that could, if Becht continues to struggle, lead to a more open-minded approach to the position from Campbell.
Or maybe that’s just what I want to believe because I feel “convicted” - to steal Campbell’s word - that starting Mankse down the stretch is best for this program.
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