Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht earned the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Week Award on Tuesday following his performance against Oklahoma State.
Becht threw for 348 yards and three touchdowns in Iowa State’s 34-27 win over Oklahoma State. Becht also completed 71% of his passes and finished with an 85.9 quarterback rating.
Throughout the day, it was clear that Becht was confident in himself as he let the ball rip against the Cowboys.
“Rocco’s confidence is at an all-time high,” Eli Sanders said. “He had a wonderful game, and he’s gonna continue to do it. I believe in him, and the whole team believes in him.”
Becht was the fourth Iowa State quarterback ever to throw for over 300 yards, three downs and no interceptions. The historic day did not stop there. Becht joined Brock Purdy and Kyle Kempt as the only quarterbacks to win their first-career Big 12 start under Matt Campbell.
Becht also completed 27 completions, which was the most in his career, pairing alongside his career-best yards thrown. The Cyclones knew they needed to trust in Becht’s abilities if they wanted to pull out a win against Oklahoma State.
“Obviously, there’s a lot more responsibility, but I’ve done a good enough job to show them that I can have that on my shoulders,” Becht said.
It is clear going forward that Becht will continue having more responsibility. He proved he can lead the team to wins when needed.
For a redshirt freshman, Becht’s start has been historic. Becht has a passing touchdown in each of his first four career starts. His seven touchdowns are also fifth-most in Iowa State history by a freshman.
Becht showed that he is confident leading the Cyclones, even with his little amount of experience before the season. Campbell noted that the team is confident in Becht as well, which may be a bigger honor than earning the award.
“Confidence at that level and at that position, it’s earned,” Campbell said. “You can’t breathe it into somebody. You can’t hope it into somebody. You have to earn it.”
Becht’s efforts paid off, as he was the best freshman football player in week four. He was also named to the Davey O’Brien Award’s Great 8 List, which recognizes the top quarterbacks in the nation for the week. Not only was he one of the best freshmen, but he was one of the best at his position.
As the Cyclones take on tough Big 12 competition, Becht will have more opportunities to shine.
“It’s been fun to watch Rocco continue to grow forward,” Campbell said.
