How Does Penn State QB Rocco Becht Perform Against Big Ten Competition?

Things are about to get very real, very quickly for Penn State, which kicks off Big Ten play on Saturday at Beaver Stadium against Wisconsin.

The Nittany Lions cruised to a 3-0 start, featuring nonconference victories over Group of 6 opponents Marshall, Temple and Buffalo by a combined score of 127-22. Quarterback Rocco Becht has looked dominant during those outings, completing 45 of 64 pass attempts for 751 yards with nine touchdowns and no interceptions.

But conference play brings a different caliber of opponent, beginning with the Badgers who enter as underdogs of roughly 10 points. The question becomes how well Becht’s early success will translate against Big Ten defenses, though there is some history to help answer that.

Through three seasons as a starter at Iowa State, Becht played three games against Big Ten opponents — all against in-state rival Iowa, which consistently produces one of the top defenses in both the conference and the nation.

2023: Iowa 20, Iowa State 13

Becht’s Cyclones fell short during arguably his worst performance of the three, which makes sense considering it was his first career start against a power conference team.

He wasn’t afraid to air it out, passing the ball 44 times compared to 31 rush attempts. Becht completed 23 passes for a 52% clip, tallying 203 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

2024: Iowa State 20, Iowa 19

The following season, Becht traveled into Kinnick Stadium, one of college football’s most hostile environments, and escaped with a narrow victory featuring an improved passing performance.

As a redshirt sophomore, Becht completed 23 of 35 passes (66%) for 272 yards with two touchdowns and one pick. That includes leading a five-play, 42-yard field goal drive to take the lead right before time expired (the Hawkeyes were left with one second, so it wasn’t technically a walk-off).

2025: Iowa State 16, Iowa 13

Last year, Becht led the Cyclones to another win in the Cy-Hawk Rivalry, doing so with an efficient passing performance.

Becht completed 18 of 27 passes for 134 yards and a touchdown, and while the numbers weren’t gaudy, he avoided turnovers and moved the ball well enough to win a low-scoring duel.

Similar to the previous season, Becht led a 13-play, 55-yard field goal drive late in the fourth quarter, leaving Iowa’s anemic offense with under two minutes to try to respond. 

Overall, Becht posted a 2-1 record, all in one-score games, against one of the tougher Big Ten defenses. While his numbers were never eye-popping, he managed the games well and proved capable against the caliber of defense he’ll be seeing this season.