Matt Campbell’s Iowa State loyalties are about to be tested with Rocco Becht and Alex Manske

Penn State is two games into Big Ten play, and after a 34-13 loss to Northwestern at Ryan Field on Friday night, Matt Campbell is already getting questions about his fourth-year starting quarterback who followed him from Iowa State: Rocco Becht. 

Becht went 26/41, passing for 243 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions. It was his second week with more interceptions than touchdowns after not turning the ball over in non-conference play, and his second straight week averaging fewer than six yards per dropback. He had multiple passes tipped at the line of scrimmage again, and was inaccurate pushing the ball downfield.

He seemingly had very few open receivers to hit, but when he did, he missed them far too frequently. 

Following the loss, Campbell was asked why Becht is the right quarterback to lead Penn State and whether he gave any thought to inserting Becht’s backup, fellow Iowa State transfer Alex Manske. 

Campbell, predictably, defended his longtime starter, spouted clichés about his winning mentality, and clarified that Manske replacing Becht was never on the table. 

“To be honest with you, Rocco’s worked through hard before, and he’s proven he’s got the great ability to do it. And, you know, the fact of the matter is Rocco’s a winner. He’s won a lot of football games. He’s had to work through really hard situations, and we’re kind of in one of those right now. 

It’s not the time to yank Rocco Becht yet, but it’s coming soon

Campbell is loyal to Becht, and that’s a two-way street. If Becht hadn’t followed Campbell to Happy Valley, he could be in an even worse situation at quarterback, though that’s a bit hard to imagine. Ethan Grunkemeyer still likely would have followed James Franklin to Virginia Tech, so Becht was probably the best option. 

But Campbell’s refusal to acknowledge that his quarterback is struggling right now is going to add fuel to the fire of a fanbase that is seemingly already starting to sour on him just five games into his tenure. Becht is not playing well, and he’s willing to acknowledge it. 

He rattled off several areas he could be better after the game, so why won’t Campbell? Is he just waiting to see the tape before making any definitive statements, or is he overly loyal to his former Cyclones? That’s a theory that first emerged during Carson Hansen’s (who was actually Penn State’s best back on Friday night) early-season struggles running the ball, and one that will proliferate through a frustrated fan base. 

Five games into the year, and after two losses without his No. 1 wide receiver, who is the only dynamic Big Ten-caliber playmaker on the offense, it’s too early to pull the plug on Rocco Becht. He’s earned a bit of a longer leash than most quarterbacks and, for as poorly as he’s played, is probably the team’s best chance of beating USC in the White Out next week and Michigan in Ann Arbor the week after. 

If he wins either of those two games, the job is probably his for the rest of the year, but it’s hard to imagine this team winning either of those games, which would both be tough first starts for a redshirt freshman like Manske; it will be a major test of Campbell’s loyalty to his longtime QB. 

After that, Penn State hosts Purdue coming off a bye in Week 9. That should be Manske’s first start, and then the test of Campbell’s loyalty to Manske begins. 

Penn State needs to come away from 2026 with a clear answer at QB for the offseason

The College Football Playoff is out of reach now. It was always a long shot for this team, and now it’s an impossibility. So, to come out of this year with one of the worst Penn State teams in years, probably considerably worse than any James Franklin ever fielded, without an answer on whether or not Manske is a viable Big Ten starter for 2027 would be malpractice. 

Campbell and general manager Derek Hoodjer desperately need to find out if they need to go into the transfer portal for a QB or not this offseason. They’ve long been high on Manske, even going so far as to call him a top four QB in the 2025 class that included Bryce Underwood and Keelon Russell. He could live up to that, but being blinded by that evaluation and loyalty from their Iowa State days could set the program back another year after Year 1 has already devolved into disaster. 

Soon, it’ll be time for Campbell to bench his longtime starter, almost no matter how well he plays in the next few weeks. And after that, if Manske doesn’t look the part, it will be time to recruit over him in the portal, but it’s not clear that Campbell will be willing to explore those options, and that’s a red flag for his tenure.

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