What does Penn State QB Rocco Becht do best? His coaches break down the film
Taylor Mouser was sitting in front of the computer in the quarterback room in Lasch Building, breaking down film of his starting quarterback — but the look on his face said his mind was back in Orlando. He grinned as he watched Rocco Becht push the pile and score to take a 42-41 lead over Miami in the 2024 Pop-Tarts Bowl. It was fourth-and-goal from the one, and there was no other player Mouser wanted to have the ball in his hands.
And watching it back, Penn State’s new offensive coordinator had the same thought.
“We give it to our best player, our most competitive player, our most trusted player,” Mouser told the Centre Daily Times. “I knew that he was going to find a way to get into the end zone, and he does. The last play of the season in the biggest season in the history of the school, like Rocco found a way to drive us down the field and score.”
Becht is “The Guy.” He’s tasked with leading Penn State back to prominence in year one of the Matt Campbell era. And Mouser and quarterbacks coach Jake Waters wouldn’t prefer anyone else doing it.
They recently sat down with the CDT to break down Becht and what he does best. Mouser, breaking down the Pop-Tarts Bowl, and Waters picking out plays that best showcase his quarterback and where he needs to grow.
Becht’s mental advantage
It’s not hard to see the confidence Mouser has in his quarterback. The first play of the game isn’t an explosive one and doesn’t add any points to the scoreboard, but it may as well have, based on the offensive coordinator’s tone. He’s smiling as he recounts Becht’s ability to get Miami to jump offsides.
Because it’s not just about the five yards. It’s about what it means for his opponent.
“Even though it’s a hand it off play, he can still have an immediate impact on it,” Mouser said. “Understand the importance of it and get the offense in sync. It gets the offense in sync, it gets the defense out of sync, it creates a seed of doubt in the defense. And it provides confidence in our guys and nobody even did anything yet.”
Becht’s mental acuity is part of what makes life a little bit easier for Mouser as a play-caller. There are plenty of choice routes in Mouser’s offense — when the quarterback and receiver need to be on the same page. And often, they are. Because Becht trusts his teammates. He knows who he can go to in big spots because he works on building continuity off the field.
That’s why when Becht had Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel as receivers in 2024, Mouser told him he’d never be mad when he threw the ball their way — even when they were covered or not the primary target of the play design. Mouser and Waters know the quarterback is always trying to make the best play he can, even when it isn’t schemed up. Like when Becht threw a ball into a tight window to Ben Brahmer running a corner route — on a play that was designed to be a completion across the middle on a shallow cross.
“All it takes is just a split second,” Waters said about the throw. “And that’s just Rocco playing really, really fast and confident. He does that and lets it rip. I don’t think we threw that ball once in practice.”
Those throws, and the fact that he’s willing to make them, are part of what Becht does best. He believes in his arm talent and can make tight window throws — while also displaying that trust to take shots down the field.
It helps, too, that he throws those balls well.
“He throws a great, catchable deep ball that guys can run under,” Waters said. “He can be extremely accurate down the field which I think is extremely hard for guys. Because you get all these big, strong-armed guys that just can throw it far, but when are you ever gonna have to throw it 80 yards?”
And on the next play Waters shows, Becht does it again. His receiver isn’t the primary option, but he sees his receiver has a 1-on-1 and he knows he can make the throw.
“He trusts it. And how I know he trusts it, when I watch his feet and he’s getting here,” Waters says as Becht gets his feet and hips aligned with his target. “Then bam — ball out.”
Improving on the margins
As with most quarterbacks, it isn’t all perfect from the senior. Becht has made plenty of progress as he’s developed into a starter at Iowa State, and now Penn State. But he still has room to grow.
There are little things that both Waters and Mouser see that will not only open up what Becht can become, but also open up a new dimension to the offense.
“A big deal that we’ve been working on is throwing to his left,” Waters said. “I think that’s always really hard for right-handed quarterbacks to throw to the left, left-handed quarterbacks to throw to the right. Because you have to get aligned. ... And then being able to have our hips and shoulders aligned, not to where he’s at, but where we need to throw it.”
Those issues with alignment, according to Waters, also come down to his quarterback’s footwork — a vital piece for any quarterback in the type of offense Mouser wants to run.
The scheme is a mix of plenty of those in the NFL, especially those run by the Los Angeles Rams and Indianapolis Colts, and is one that requires a quarterback to use his footwork to get the ball where he needs to as he works through a progression.
Waters sees the ability for Becht to get there, but knows there’s still more to unlock this coming season. And he uses a cross-sport comparison to Steph Curry, the best shooter in NBA history, to make his point to his quarterback.
“We talk about getting to our shot,” Waters said. “And what I mean by that is, I tell those guys, Steph Curry, how is he able to come off all these screens, sometimes fade away? Well, he gets to his base every single time. So, for us, how do we get to our throwing base every time, whether we have to move, reset, maintain the base? If we have to get off our base, how do we get back? Because if Rocco gets to this base and he’s aligned, he’s elite.”
Even the footwork comes down to a broader opportunity for improvement — consistency. Becht has to get better at leaning on what he’s taught and doing it on every rep. That means lining up his footwork, and getting his hips aligned so he doesn’t open up on throws to his left. It means stabilizing himself on short throws so he doesn’t lose out on an open receiver because he misses his spot. Holistically, it means leaning on what he does during his best plays on every play.
“Rocco’s made some of the most incredible throws I’ve ever seen,” Mouser said. “He also has missed a couple layups, so there’s some consistency factors there, I think with him, of just accurate accuracy on some of the short throws, a big thing for us that we’ve tried to instill and develop him with his consistency with his footwork. ... I think there’s a consistency factor that we can get to from an accuracy standpoint.”
But even when Mouser and Waters discuss where they want to see Becht improve, it’s very clear they believe he can, and will, get there. They both commended the time and effort he puts into his game, and just how seriously he takes getting better. And the proof is already out there. He’s taken steps forward, when healthy, each year under their tutelage.
This one will be the most important one.
He could take another leap and put himself in position for a long NFL career — while putting Penn State in position to achieve all it wants this season.
