The Penn State Nittany Lions had a memorable night in Happy Valley against the USC Trojans, setting an all-time Beaver Stadium attendance record before falling 31-23. Coach Matt Campbell's team survived trickeration from USC coach Lincoln Riley and gave themselves a chance to win but failed to get it done.
Afterward, Campbell spoke about his QB Rocco Becht, and was curt with his comments.
“I thought Rocco certainly gave us every opportunity to be successful,” he said about the young gunslinger who joined him from Iowa State this past offseason.
Becht and the Nittany Lions are now 3-3 and have not fully recovered since their players-only meeting following the team's home loss to Wisconsin. A subsequent blowout loss at Northwestern in the new Ryan Field only made matters worse making the USC game appear as a must-win. The Nittany Lions battled hard all night, taking a 17-17 tie game score into halftime, but were outclassed in the second half.
Article Continues BelowBecht finished with a stat line of 21-32 passing for 289 yards and one touchdown. The Nittany Lions' running game didn't help much as its leader was Carson Hansen, who averaged a measly two yards per carry; 14 rushes for 28 yards and one touchdown.
Penn State is known for its overwhelming star power and talent, two things Campbell's crew appears to be lacking. The Rocco Becht show will likely continue for the rest of the season, and it's anyone's guess as to how it will turn out. Penn State has the pedigree of a national power, but fans are starting to question whether its players and coaching staff are up to snuff, and rightfully so after the USC loss.

