It would be unfair to say this season has been anywhere near what Penn State was hoping for, and there are a lot of reasons why.
Unfortunately, we could go down a long list of what needs to change for Penn State to be the team it expects to be, and at the top of that list is the coaching staff, led by Matt Campbell.
I'm not going to sit here and say that Campbell is a bad coach just yet, as we ultimately have no idea what the future is going to look like with him at the helm, and we should give him some time to at least bring in all the guys he wants.
At the same time, many of these guys are from Iowa State, and his unwillingness to change the starting unit has been one of the biggest problems. Specifically, letting quarterback Rocco Becht keep starting games when he hasn't proven he's good enough doesn't make much sense.
But when Campbell speaks, it sounds like he's willing to make some of these decisions, even if his actions don't match his words.
He recently said everybody has to show they've earned the right to play, and he says there's video evidence they've done so. When it comes to Becht, however, that's been far from the case.
“Until the lights come on, until you get out there and play under the lights, what does that real confidence look like?” Campbell said Tuesday during his bye week media availability, per Onward State. “For so many of the guys that are playing, there’s videotape evidence of why they’ve earned the right to be on the football field playing for us right now…
“My belief is you still have to earn the right to be on the field,” Campbell said. “We’re in a matter-of-fact business.”
I agree with Campbell that guys have to earn the ability to play, and perhaps throughout earlier stages of Becht's career at Iowa State he did that, but this is a completely different situation.
The Big Ten isn't the Big 12, and the longer he takes to figure that out, the longer we're going to have to watch bad football.
Becht just hasn't been the answer this year, and at some point, something has to change. Even if it doesn't lead to more wins, it'll probably be much more enjoyable for the fan base to watch.