Rocco Becht was not good in Penn State’s 24-20 Week 4 win. Hardly anybody on the Penn State offense was. The Nittany Lions managed just one offensive touchdown, and it came on a drive that started at the Wisconsin 11-yard line thanks to a Daryus Dixson interception.
Yet, Matt Campbell defended Becht after his 12/29 outing with 114 yards and an interception.
“I think Rocco, and it'll be interesting to answer that question probably even a little bit better after you watch the videotape. But I thought Rocco made some tremendous plays. I thought he kept us in the football game. You know, some scrambles that were timely, some scrambles and throws.
Felt like some of our issues were probably more so with some protection things, where, you know, even that ball was tipped. It wasn't a ball that was like a bad or a poor decision. It was a tipped pass. So I really thought Rocco played, I thought, a really good football game for the most part. Again, we'll have to, I'll answer that better after I watch the video tonight.”
That’s a more measured response than if you strip out the “I thought Rocco played a really good football game” part, but it’s still a fairly convicted defense of a quarterback who never looked comfortable and admitted himself after the game that the performance wasn’t up to his standard.
“I’ve got to be better for the offense. I’ve got to be better for this team.”
Matt Campbell isn’t going to bury Rocco Becht
Becht started 39 games for Iowa State over the last three years and played much of last season with two shoulder injuries, one of which required surgery once the year ended. He’s been a warrior for Campbell and almost immediately followed him from Ames to Happy Valley.
Behind Brock Purdy, Becht is the best quarterback to ever play for Campbell, and with so much history, there’s a level of trust between those two that’s rare in college football. He’s not going to bury him after one loss, even if he was one of the biggest problems with their performance.
Becht has had longstanding issues in the red zone. A rushing touchdown helped alleviate that a bit, but he hasn’t looked comfortable throwing into tight windows, and that largely translated to the rest of the field against Wisconsin. Becht needed to be better; behind closed doors, Campbell is probably going to tell him that, but though it may be annoying for fans to hear, his public defense of his quarterback makes perfect sense.
But he desperately needs him to adjust to the Big Ten fast
It may look like it with Northwestern up next on Friday, but Penn State’s schedule isn’t getting much easier. The Wildcats gave Indiana all it could handle on Friday, and with Chip Kelly calling the plays, former Oregon State and Michigan State QB Aidan Chiles is finally tapping into all the potential he had as a highly touted four-star recruit.
After that, USC comes to Happy Valley for the White Out. A week later, Penn State heads to Ann Arbor. Becht isn’t the only problem with the Penn State offense, but he’s near the top of the list. He and offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser will need to find a fix quickly because star wide receiver Koby Howard isn’t back until Week 7 at the earliest, and by then the season could look eerily familiar to 2025 at 3-3 and 0-3 in Big Ten play.
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