What happened to Rocco Becht? Exploring Iowa State football QB’s injury during Big 12 game vs Arizona State
Quarterback Rocco Becht suffered a hard hit during the Big 12 Championship as his No. 16 Iowa State Cyclones faced the No. 15 Arizona State Sun Devils on Saturday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Becht attempted to lead Iowa State to victory but was briefly sidelined after a tackle.
Arizona State (11-2, 7-2 Big 12) captured the Big 12 Championship with a dominant 45-19 victory over Iowa State (10-3, 7-2). The Cyclones started strong but couldn’t match the Sun Devils’ offensive and defensive firepower. On Becht's first play of the fourth quarter, Arizona State defensive back Shamari Simmons delivered a helmet-to-helmet hit on the quarterback.
The referee ruled the hit as targeting, resulting in Simmons’ ejection from the game. Per NCAA rules, Simmons will also miss the first half of Arizona State's College Football Playoff quarterfinal game.
Rocco Becht returned after being evaluated and finished the game. He threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jaylin Noel with 7:27 remaining in the fourth quarter. However, it wasn’t enough to close the gap against Arizona State’s commanding lead. After the loss, Becht stayed in the tunnel to greet his teammates as they walked off the field.
Becht finished the Big 12 Championship with 21 completions on 35 attempts for 214 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
"We will be back in this game next year": Rocco Becht speaks after Iowa State loss in Big 12 Championship
The Iowa State sophomore addressed the media following the game, praising his teammates for their effort this season and predicting the team’s return to the Big 12 Championship next year.
"These guys put in a lot of work to get to what we did today, and it just didn't fall into what we wanted it to, and you know, we got to be better, and we are a team that I feel like can handle adversity really well and today at some points we just couldn't, and we have to fix that," Rocco Becht said.
"But at the end of the day, I told everybody coming out of the tunnel, the ones that are coming back that, you know, remember this feeling because we will be back in this game next year. I promise you that."
Iowa State’s loss may serve as the motivation the Cyclones need to take the next step and win the Big 12 Championship next season.