AMES – When Iowa State coach Matt Campbell said Saturday that, save for one play, quarterback Rocco Becht was “spectacular” against Arizona State , it was hard to reconcile that word with what anyone could have seen throughout the afternoon at Jack Trice Stadium.

How could Campbell, even as an ardent defender and protector of his quarterbacks for the last decade, have that evaluation? It wasn’t just that Becht’s stat line featured a pedestrian 50 percent completion rate, 186 yards, a single touchdown and an interception. It was the way he got there, with an uneasy presence in the pocket and a number of passes that were wildly off the mark.

Was this delusion? Maybe a coach distracted by the intensely frightening scene of Ben Brahmer’s injury? Plain old stubbornness to admit a beloved

See Full Page