Penn State's Matt Campbell is sticking with Rocco Becht as the Big Ten losses mount

Rocco Becht is still Penn State's starting quarterback, and Matt Campbell has made clear he will stay there. Campbell said after the 21-18 loss at Michigan, and again during the bye week, that he never considered a change. That held even after Becht turned the ball over three times in the second half at Michigan Stadium. Those turnovers led to all 21 of Michigan's points, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

USA TODAY Sports laid out the numbers behind the criticism. Against Big Ten opponents, Becht is completing 59.5% of his passes with three touchdowns and five interceptions, and Penn State has scored six offensive touchdowns in conference play. The contrast on the other sideline was sharp. Trailing 3-0 at halftime, Michigan took out Bryce Underwood and sent in freshman Tommy Carr, who completed five of seven passes for 47 yards and ran for 36 yards and a touchdown on four carries. Campbell made no move of his own. Asked whether a switch was ever on the table, he answered that "there's never a consideration from my end," according to USA TODAY Sports.

Campbell kept that position at his only bye-week press conference. He told reporters the staff has complete faith in Becht, a fifth-year senior who followed him from Iowa State. Campbell also said backup Alex Manske is developing but that his time has not come, per a second Inquirer report. The Daily Collegian reported that Campbell blamed only two plays from Saturday entirely on Becht. He credited the quarterback's work with receiver Chase Sowell and on third down for keeping Penn State in the game. Over the full season, Becht has completed 132 of 210 passes for 1,664 yards, with 12 touchdowns and five interceptions.

The decision now defines Campbell's first season. USA TODAY Sports argued that publicly protecting a struggling veteran raises questions about the accountability Campbell has promised to build.

What it means for Purdue, and for Michigan

The season splits cleanly in two for Penn State. The Nittany Lions opened 3-0, beating Marshall 45-0, Temple 27-9 and Buffalo 55-13. They have lost four straight since then: 24-20 to Wisconsin, 34-13 at Northwestern, 31-23 to No. 19 USC and 21-18 at Michigan. The offense scored at least 27 points in every nonconference game and has not reached 24 in a Big Ten game. Two of the four losses came by four points or fewer, which supports Campbell's view that Becht keeps the team close. It also shows how much each turnover costs.

At 3-4, Penn State has the bye and then hosts Purdue on Saturday, October 31. That is the first Big Ten game where Becht can answer his critics on the field. With five games left, the margin for reaching a bowl game is small.

Michigan, now 4-2, plays first. The Wolverines host No. 6 Indiana on Saturday, October 24, on Fox, and Indiana is favored. Novig lists Indiana at -264 on the moneyline and Michigan at +257. Novig has Indiana -7.5 at +106 on the spread, and the best Indiana number anywhere is Pinnacle's -7 at -114. That leaves the 12 venues on this site's board half a point apart. The total is 43.5 at Novig and 42.5 at BetMGM, again a half-point gap. Sportsbook hold runs from 3.3% to 6.7% across the spread and total markets. A low total fits Michigan's season: its last three games were decided by a combined 12 points, and none of them saw either team reach 22 points.