How Penn State's Offense Went Off the Rails in Big Ten Play

Penn State quarterback Rocco Becht stared down his performance against Northwestern last Friday with a cold, hard look at himself.

"I'n better than that," Becht said after the Nittany Lions' 34-13 loss. "I've just got to look myself in the mirror and ask, 'Why am I doing this? Why am I here?' and not sulk but continue to raise myself up, continue to get better week in and wek out and know why I'm missing these throws right now."

For Becht and Penn State's offense, their first two Big Ten games have been a study in, "Why am I doing this?" After a fairly crisp start in the non-conference schedule, the Nittany Lions have fallen off the offensive cliff, with a jarring set of numbers following them.

How did it go so bad so quickly for Penn State? A glimpse at the stats tells a withering story.

Rocco Becht's Big Ten slump

Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Rocco Becht (3) looks to throw a pass against the Wisconsin Badgers at Beaver Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Through the first three games, Becht was among the most effective quarterbacks in the nation. After the non-conference schedule, Becht ranked third nationally in pass-efficiency rating (215.29) and in the top 10 in completion percentage (70.3). But the Big Ten has turned against him.

Becht's passer rating is 93.28 in losses to Wisconsin and Northwestern, and his completion percentage is 54.3. Through the first three games, Becht averaged 11.7 yards per attempt. Without big-play receiver Koby Howard in Big Ten play, that has plummted to 5.1 yards per attempt.

The fourth-year starter uncharacteristically has had trouble maintaining rhythm. Until the second quarter against Northwestern, Becht hadn't completed more than three straight passes in Big Ten play.

He also has had issues getting some attempts past the line of scrimmage. Northwestern and Wisconsin combined to break up 14 of Becht's passes, with the Wildcats batting down four at the line. Two of Becht's three interceptions were tipped at the line of scrimmage. Which leads to...

Becht isn't capitalizing on his receiver play

Penn State Nittany Lions wide receiver Zay Robinson (2) can't catch a pass against the Northwestern Wildcats. — Penn State Nittany Lions wide receiver Zay Robinson (2) can't catch a pass against the Northwestern Wildcats during the second half at New Ryan Field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Penn State's tight ends and receivers generally have been getting open at various levels of the field. Against Wisconsin, Becht underthrew an open Brett Eskildsen on the left sideline that could have gone for a game-sealing touchdown. At Northwestern, Becht overthrew an open Zay Robinson on the same sideline. He's 5-for-17 on passes of 15+ yards in conference play.

In each game, Becht has had trouble connecting with his receivers or tight ends. Becht targeted Eskildsen six times against Wisconsin without a reception. At Northwestern, Becht hit Chase Sowell with a lovely 26-yard throw on Penn State's first offensive play. After that, Becht was 4-for-11 throwing to Sowell, who was not assigned a drop.

In two Big Ten games, Becht has completed just two passes of 20+ yards, both to Sowell. He had16 during the non-conference schedule.

Penn State can't run the ball

Penn State Nittany Lions running back James Peoples (1) runs the ball against the Northwestern Wildcats. — Penn State Nittany Lions running back James Peoples (1) runs the ball against the Northwestern Wildcats during the first half at New Ryan Field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Penn State has been a completely different team running the ball vs. Big Ten opponents and non-Power 4 opponents. The Nittany Lions averaged 205 yards rushing during the first three games, highlighted by its 304-yard performance in Week 3 against Buffalo. Since then, the run game has gone quiet.

The Nittany Lions average 83.5 yards per game, or 2.9 per carry, in games against Wisconsin and Northwestern. The bottom fell out of the run game at New Ryan Field, where the Nittany Lions totaled a season-low 48 yards rushing, averaging 2,2 per play.

Was that because the Nittany Lions got down big and were forced to throw? Not entirely. Penn State ran the ball four times for 6 yards in the first quarter and 14 times for 26 yards in the first half against Northwestern. The Nittany Lions never were able to establish the run.

Penn State's longest runs in Big Ten play were by Becht: a 19-yard scramble against Wisconsin and a 10-yard scramble against Northwestern. The longest carry by a running back in the Big Ten is James Peoples' 9-yarder against Wisconsin.

Big Ten numbers tell a grim story

Penn State Nittany Lions head coach Matt Campbell walks on the sideline against the Buffalo Bulls at Beaver Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

How many other ways has Penn State's offense cratered in the Big Ten? Let's count them:

Penn State's longest offensive play is the 26-yard completion from Becht to Sowell to start the Wisconsin game. The team's longest actual play on the Big Ten schedule is Josiah Zayas' 51-yard interception return for a touchdown against Wisconsin.

Penn State's offense has scored three touchdowns on 25 total drives against Wisconsin and Northwestern. Only one of those drives covered more than 50 yards (a 68-yard series in the fourth quarter at Northwestern). The other two drives covered 11 and 34 yards after turnovers.

Penn State's offense has scored points on five of its 25 drives in two Big Ten games (three touchdowns, two field goals), a 20-percent success rate. The Nittany Lions are tied for 15th in the Big Ten in conference scoring (16.5 per game).

Penn State ranks 15th in the Big Ten in time of possession in conference games. One contributing factor: The Nittany Lions went three-and-out four times against Wisconsin. They also have just one drive of 5 minutes or longer in two games, in which they're averaging five plays per series.

Penn State's actually fortunate to be converting 37.5 percent of its third downs in conference play, considering its average third-down distance was 5 yards against Northwestern and 6.9 against Wisconsin.

Up next

Penn State looks to turn around its offensive game against USC on Saturday night at Beaver Stadium. The Nittany Lion host the 19th-ranked Trojans in the White Out, which kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC's Big Ten Saturday Night.

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