Is it time to bench Rocco Becht? Matt Campbell says ‘there’s never consideration.’
Becht’s struggle in Big Ten play has become the storyline of Penn State’s season as it dropped to 0-4 against conference opponents. However, Campbell has no intentions to bench his starter.
Rocco Becht’s eyes were noticeably swollen as he spoke postgame. The fifth-year’s face told the story of Penn State’s 21-18 loss to Michigan, with all 21 of the Wolverines’ points coming off of Becht’s three turnovers.
It was a “humbling” experience for the seasoned quarterback, so much so that Becht couldn’t even talk to his teammates in the locker room, said wide receiver Chase Sowell, a rarity for Penn State’s most vocal leader.
“He’s a guy [where] you can see it on his face, before we even got to the locker room,” Sowell said. “It killed him. It’s hard to see that type of stuff because it’s not like he’s trying to do that.”
Becht once again struggled in Big Ten play, which is slowly becoming the storyline of Penn State’s season as it dropped to 0-4 against conference opponents. He threw two interceptions and had one fumble, which came on the most crucial drive of the matchup with five minutes left in the fourth quarter.
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That fumble set Michigan up at the Nittany Lions’ 13-yard line, and a rushing touchdown from backup quarterback Tommy Carr iced the game for the Wolverines.
Despite Becht’s poor performance, coach Matt Campbell said there was no scenario where he thought about benching his starter.
“Man, how that guy continues to compete and fight, and gave us a chance even at the end of the football game, he’s got to be better,” Campbell said. “He will continue to grow and be better, but no, there’s never consideration from my end.”
Opposing head coach Kyle Whittingham, however, benched his starting quarterback after he threw two interceptions in the first half.
The situations are a bit different, as Whittingham inherited Bryce Underwood, who’s earning an NIL package around $12 million. Campbell, meanwhile, chose to have Becht follow him from Iowa State to Penn State after three years of Becht starting under him for the Cyclones.
“I have complete faith in who Rocco Becht is and what he’s about and listen, nobody’s more devastated than that guy right now in that locker room,” Campbell said. “But the reality of it is that’s the position he plays.”
Becht now has five interceptions and a fumble in four Big Ten games compared to just three touchdowns, two of which came late into games that were practically already over (Northwestern and Michigan).
He didn’t have a single turnover in the Nittany Lions’ nonconference slate, and his completion percentage is down 10.8% from those first three games; it’s been a pretty stark regression for Becht during Penn State’s four-game losing streak.
Becht is no stranger to struggles, however. He had a four-game losing stretch last year where he had five interceptions — exactly what he’s experiencing now — so he’s confident in his ability to regain form.
“This game’s super humbling,” Becht said. “That’s why you play it. That’s why you love it. For me, unfortunately, I’ve been in this position before last year, and I got out of it. So I’m going to be strong.”
But the reality is that Penn State is not going to make the College Football Playoff. It won’t make a good bowl game unless it dramatically turns things around.
It seems that Campbell is not willing to take a chance on redshirt freshman backup Alex Manske, who is supposed to be the quarterback of the future for the program.
But Penn State will need Becht to turn things around.
“It’s hard to watch a guy that loves a place so much, appreciates a place so much, and is trying to do so much for a place [struggle],” Sowell said. “The biggest thing I told him was just keep being confident, keep being you. You don’t have to make these outstanding plays. You don’t have to make the superhero play. You just have to be Rocco Becht. You just have to make the simple routine plays. Let your guys work.”
