Penn State Qb Rocco Becht Has Been Playing Elite Football For The Nittany Lions

Rocco Becht was the obvious lynchpin for the success or failure of the first year of Penn State football under Matt Campbell, and the initial feedback is very, very positive.

As it stands right now, Becht has completed 75 percent of his throws for 538 yards for 7 touchdowns and zero interceptions. He has been sharp and everything that the Nittany Lions could have dreamed about when he arrived.

Now, it is hardly unexpected. Becht is a fifth-year senior who has played his entire career with Matt Campbell. It is really just a new paint job on a career that he is very used to. Furthermore, the Nittany Lions have yet to be challenged all that much this season.

In week one against the Marshall Thundering Herd, Penn State rolled to a 45-0 lead, and Becht was flawless. Then, last week, the Nittany Lions got off to a slow start, and Becht kept the ship steady and helped propel the Nittany Lions to a comfortable win.

Personally, Becht is off to a career-best pace. His best season came two years ago, in 2024, when he finished the year with 3,505 yards and 25 touchdowns against just nine interceptions. 

Last year, he definitely took a step back, but he seems to have settled into his role as the Penn State quarterback.

He has one more week this week against an inferior opponent before the real tests begin in the Big Ten. The standard this week at home against Buffalo is to have yet another clean performance in which he takes care of business. 

The measure of Becht is going to be how well he handles his responsibilities when Big Ten play begins. Again, his tests won't be the toughest for a couple of weeks, but it is definitely going to be different than what he has played against so far.

One of the biggest games of this season comes in two weeks against the Wisconsin Badgers to begin Big Ten play. Penn State will likely be 3-0, while the Badgers are likely going to be 2-1. That's a football game that the Badgers are going to expect to win, full stop.

It will also be Penn State's first real test of the season, and they will have to prove that all of the Iowa State transfers can roll in the Big Ten.

For Becht, his job is to just continue playing clean. He doesn't have to win the Heisman, but if he can be a clean quarterback, make a couple of big throws, and be an elite game manager, they might find themselves in the College Football Playoffs.