The Most Important Play of Penn State's Week 2 Win Over Temple

Quarterback Rocco Becht took a late hit from a former Nittany Lion, and his teammates responded.

Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Rocco Becht is tackled out of bounds by Temple Owls safety Kolin Dinkins during the fourth quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Rocco Becht hopped back to his feet after taking a shot to the chest that sent the Penn State sideline into action. Offensive line coach Ryan Clanton was there in an instant. Several Nittany Lions swooped in. From the field, offensive linemen Cooper Cousins and Anthony Donkoh snapped immediately into protective mode.

From behind the play, Penn State coach Matt Campbell watched his team galvanize instinctively in that moment. And after the game, Campbell reflected on what it meant.

"I think this group is really coming together," Campbell said after Penn State beat Temple 27-9 at Lincoln Financial Field. "There's a lot of unity and there's a lot of togetherness. I thought we showed that in some critical moments today."

That play, on which Becht gained 12 yards plus 15 more for the late hit, unearthed insight about the Nittany Lions as they continue to fuse people and personalities from 28 different states and 18 different schools into one roster. And it started with a former Nittany Lion.

Temple safety Kolin Dinkins, who played for Penn State last season, laid into Becht clearly out of bounds. The hit didn't appear intentional. Dinkins raised his arms afterward as if to say, "My fault," and Temple coach K.C. Keeler brought Dinkins to the sideline to avoid something further.

But Penn State's instinctive reaction was instructive. Donkoh and Cousins, Dinkins' teammates last year, met him with some, well, criticism. They were clear without escalating.

Before the Penn State-Temple game, Cousins repeated what he has been saying for the entire year. "As soon as everybody got here in January, it was Penn State," he said. "... I think we've done a great job of handling that and forgetting the past."

But until you see that in action, it can be difficult to understand how a team with 62 new players (including 40 transfers) can harmonize without settling into old cliques. Campbell addressed this during the offseason by having players who didn't know each other eat together and by creating "accountability teams" that actively tracked the blending process.

So when Becht took that late hit, coincindentally from a former Nitttany Lion, the reaction from his teammates was instinct not just hardwired naturally but also embedded over the past nine months.

"Obviously the situation at the end of the game, I think it's just another example of our kids sticking up for each other, whether that's Rocco or any of our players," Campbell said. "The reality of it is, we are a team and we want to be the best team we possibly can be. And sometimes that means sticking up for your teammates."

Penn State coach Matt Campbell on what he saw from his team when QB Rocco Becht absorbed a late hit Saturday vs. Temple. pic.twitter.com/iTlXLmw8vQ

— Mark Wogenrich (@MarkWogenrich) September 13, 2026

'Nothing short of elite'

Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Rocco Becht (3) throws a pass during the first quarter against the Temple Owls at Lincoln Financial Field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"I'm all good, I hopped right back up," Becht said after the game with a smile. Good thing, too, because he has been a revelation for Penn State in his first two games.

Becht leads the Big Ten and ranks fourth nationally in passer efficiency with a 227.7 rating. His completion percentage (75.6) is third in the Big Ten. He has thrown seven touchdown passes without an interception.

After his first real mistake of the season (Becht crossed the line of scrimmage on a first-qurarter red-zone throw), the quarterback was nearly perfect Saturday against Temple. He led a 2-minute drill touchdown drive to close the half, completed 12 consecutive passes and hit 13 of 14 during one stretch.

"Nothing short of elite," Cousins said of Becht's play before the Temple game.

That's why Penn State protected him so assertively Saturday. Becht played through two shoulder injuries at Iowa State last season that limited how and where he could throw the ball. He received twice weekly shots, Campbell said, simply to practice.

Now, Becht is healthy and off to the best start of his career. The quarterback made a throw in the second half vs. Temple that raised heartbeats. Watch how Becht threads this ball to Zay Robinson between three Temple defenders with two more circling.

Absolute DOT 🎯 pic.twitter.com/jCWLTeUaT8

— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) September 12, 2026

Becht said the successful two-minute drive before halftime got him "in a groove" that flowed into the second half. Penn State simply followed that groove.

"Yeah, it looks like it," Becht said when asked whether his teammates can feel his roll and follow it. "They're continuing to make the great catches down the field, and the running backs are continuing to make blocks in the pocket and continuing to make great runs, and everyone's feeding off of it. Yes, sir."

Becht also plays the position with what offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser called "tight end blood." Maybe that comes from his father Anthony, the head coach of the UFL's Orlando Storm who was a first-round draft pick of the New York Jets in 2000 as a tight end.

"He's got tight end blood in him where you have to be able to get your face pounded in a little bit and be able to bounce back," Mouser said earlier this year. "And he's a tough guy. He's a rub-dirt-on-it guy.”

Penn State has a long way to go before announcing itself as a College Football Playoff contender, and two games don't merit hyperextending expectations. But through those two games, Becht has thrown the ball at a healthy, exceptional level while retaining his "rub-dirt-on-it" ethos.

Further, Becht has taken Penn State's reins just nine months removed from being at Iowa State. The reaction to that late hit, which might have seemed minor at the time, reflected how Becht's teammates see and respond to him.

"That just shows how together we are as a team: coaches, staff and players," Becht said. "And we continue to build around each other. We're always there to have each other's backs."

Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Rocco Becht (3) stands with his teammates following the game against the Temple Owls at Lincoln Financial Field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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