Penn State HC Matt Campbell Rips Blowout Loss to Northwestern in Video, 'Lacked In Every Way'

Penn State coach Matt Campbell ripped his team for a lack of "effort" while conceding their second straight loss in a 34-13 Friday night blowout by Northwestern.

"I think the frustrating thing for me is the standard of what this program plays with, the attitude, the effort, the toughness, we lacked it in every way, shape and form tonight," Campbell said Friday (h/t StateCollege.com's Mike Poorman). "I put a lot on me."

Campbell added he felt the Nittany Lions' play "put a lot of pressure" on quarterback Rocco Becht, who finished the night with one passing touchdown and two interceptions.

Five of Penn State's opening six drives ended in punts before the Nittany Lions capped off the first half with a missed field goal.

Becht was then picked off twice in the fourth quarter as Northwestern closed out the win.

This marks a second straight loss against a Big Ten opponent for Becht and a brutal stretch for Penn State that started with blowing a lead earlier this week in a loss to Wisconsin that dropped the Nittany Lions out of the AP Top 26.

Since going up 17-0 in last Saturday's first half against Wisconsin, Penn State has been outscored by a combined score of 58-16.

When asked Friday if he at any point considered putting in backup quarterback Alex Manske against Northwestern, Campbell said, "We really didn't... We put a lot of pressure, especially on the offensive side of the ball and the quarterback, where you're in a drop-back passing game just to try to get back into it. Rocco, we have great belief in."

Becht, a fifth-year senior transfer, played four seasons under Campbell with Iowa State before following his coach to Penn State.

"Rocco's a winner," Campbell said about his longtime quarterback. "He's won a lot of football games, and he's had to work through really hard situations, and we're kind of in one of those right now. So, his leadership and his ability to navigate the rough waters right now will be, I think, a testament to him."

Becht had a long list of ideas when asked Friday night what improvements he could make ahead of next Saturday's White Out game against visiting No. 18 USC.

"It's leadership, getting the first first down, trying to get better in that area, and just making a play when nothing's there, using my feet more, scrambling more, and continuing to get out of bad situations. I think for me it's making the play last longer," Becht said.

Penn State will be looking for improvements on both sides of the ball after watching his defense surrender 413 rushing yards while his offense gained just 48 yards on the ground.

Campbell started out his first season as Penn State head coach 3-0 against non-conference opponents before recording back-to-back losses against Big Ten teams.

He indicated he wants his team to focus on more physicality and fewer missed tackles on defense, while still leaning on Becht on offense, while looking to regroup before Big Ten play continues over the next two weeks against USC and at Michigan.