Quarterback Rocco Becht threw three touchdowns and rushed for another as Penn State scored the game’s first 35 points in a 42-14 Big Ten win over Minnesota on a rainy Saturday night.
Penn State (6-4, 3-4 Big Ten) won its third consecutive game while outgaining the Golden Gophers 351-226 in total offense. Running back Carson Hansen powered the ground attack with 126 rushing yards and a touchdown on 12 carries, extending his touchdown-scoring streak to six.
Becht completed 9 of 15 passes for 84 yards and three scores, connecting twice with Ben Brahmer and once with running back Cam Wallace, who added 82 rushing yards on 15 attempts. For Minnesota (5-5, 3-4 Big Ten), which dropped its third straight contest, quarterback Drake Lindsey went 16-of-30 passing for 185 yards and two touchdowns—both caught by wide receiver Javon Tracy.
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The Nittany Lions seized control early in the opening quarter, building a 14-0 lead on Becht’s 1-yard touchdown run with 8:44 remaining and a 19-yard scoring pass to Brahmer at 5:15.
Hansen sidestepped two defenders and broke free for a 46-yard touchdown run with 10:10 left in the second quarter before Becht found Wallace for a 1-yard score with 33 seconds remaining to give Penn State a 28-0 halftime cushion.
Penn State continued its surge out of the locker room, marching 75 yards on 10 plays to open the third quarter and capping the drive with Becht’s 4-yard touchdown pass to Brahmer for a 35-0 advantage.
Minnesota finally got on the board later in the period as Lindsey hit Tracy for a 10-yard touchdown with 6:14 left in the third, then connected with Tracy again on a 15-yard scoring play at the 1:40 mark to cut the deficit to 35-14.
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Backup quarterback Alex Manske closed out the scoring for the Nittany Lions with 2:51 remaining in the fourth quarter, tossing a 22-yard touchdown pass to James Peoples to restore the 28-point margin.
