Penn State's Rocco Becht Climbs in QB Rankings
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Rocco Becht got a little taste of what life is like as a Penn State quarterback at Beaver Stadium.
The transfer from Iowa State didn't complete the full game before he was pulled amid a 45-0 blowout of Marshall on Saturday. Becht finished 13 of 18 passing for 271 yards and four touchdowns.
Becht played so well that backup quarterback Alex Manske had an opportunity to play substantial minutes, going 6 of 8 passing for 57 yards in the win.
David Cobb of CBS Sports boosted Becht's ranking for college quarterbacks. He entered the season ranked No. 25, but ballooned to No. 14 before Week 2.
"Becht is second nationally in yards per attempt through Week 1 at 15.1 after shredding Marshall for 271 yards and four touchdowns on just 13 of 18 passing," Cobb wrote.
"A 0-for-3 mark on throws traveling 20+ yards was a downer, but Becht was nonetheless sharp and efficient in an impressive debut with the Nittany Lions."
Becht had a solid season in 2024 before suffering shoulder injuries in 2025. He appeared to be at full strength on Saturday, a good sign for Penn State in the first year under head coach Matt Campbell.
Becht told reporters after the game that he was proud of the way the offense competed against Marshall, playing an efficient game with no turnovers.
“I think when I got pulled in the third quarter when my day was over, I think just taking it all in at that moment, knowing that I played my first game at Beaver Stadium,” Becht said, via The Daily Collegian.
“The way that we did it, we did it at a smooth rate, a clean rate, no turnovers… I think everything just coming together as one, us going out there playing as one team was great.”
Becht has two more opportunities to gain momentum before Penn State begins its Big Ten schedule. The No. 16 Nittany Lions will travel to play Temple on Saturday before hosting Buffalo on Sept. 19.
The pressure was on Becht to have a good year and keep PSU in the College Football Playoff conversation. He showed enough against Marshall to keep things interesting.
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