The straw that stirs the drink of Iowa’s offense is junior quarterback Rocco Becht, who’s now in his third season as ISU’s starter. 

The 6-1, 210-pound Wesley Chapel, Florida, native became Iowa State’s starter in 2023 after starter Hunter Dekkers, who was the successor to San Francisco 49ers quarterback and former Cyclone Brock Purdy, left the team following a sports gambling probe. 

Becht became the Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year in 2023 after passing for 3,210 yards, 23 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Last season, Becht led the Cyclones to a Big 12 championship appearance and a Pop Tarts Bowl win. 

Becht currently owns Iowa State’s single-game passing yards record (446) and has the second- and third-most single-season passing touchdown marks in school history. In his career, Becht has 7,550 yards, 55 touchdowns and 19 interceptions, along with 431 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns. 

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“He’s a really good player and I have a ton of respect for him because he stayed the course (at Iowa State),” said Arizona head coach Brent Brennan. 

“You can see him play with extreme confidence because he’s effective in everything they ask him to do,” added Brennan. 

This season, Becht has a career-high completion percentage (65%) and 860 yards, seven touchdowns and an interception.

“He doesn’t make mistakes,” Arizona defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales said. “That’s the greatest thing about them — their quarterback.” 

Gonzales said Becht’s “ability to run the football, especially on short down-and-distances, is uncanny” — and it’s why Iowa State is one of the top third-down offenses in the Big 12. 

“He’s aggressive and when he has to, he’ll run you over,” Gonzales said of Becht. “When he doesn’t have to, he’s smart and will protect himself. He never puts them in a wrong place and it looks like he has the opportunity to check in and out of plays every single time. He might be the most efficient quarterback in this league.” 

Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita has a similar career path as Becht. 

Fifita took over the reins from his predecessor Jayden de Laura, who suffered an ankle injury in Arizona’s last Pac-12 opener at Stanford, and became the Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year and led the Wildcats to a 10-win season and a win over Oklahoma at the Alamo Bowl. 

Last season, Becht and Fifita were third and sixth in the Big 12 in passing yards, however, Fifita tied for the most interceptions (12) thrown in the conference, while Becht had nine — with two more games than Fifita.   

Under new offensive coordinator Seth Doege, Fifita has thrown for 712 yards, six touchdowns and no interceptions. Fifita’s turnover-less start to the season is the most consecutive games he’s played without a turnover since becoming the starter two years ago. Similar to Becht, Fifita has evolved as an astute runner, which has led to the Arizona quarterback running for a career-high three rushing touchdowns this season.  

“Here’s the thing about Noah, even as a runner, he’s very elite at understanding space and being aware of people,” Doege said. “When you give him a plan of action and he studied that plan of action, he knows where to go with the football, but he also knows what bad can happen if he does try to do something outside of what the plan is. … Even as a runner, he doesn’t take these massive hits.

“Why? Because he can feel space, he can feel people. He understands when he’s about to take a blow and get down.” 

Added Doege: “He’s got an elite skillset, which makes him special. Credit to his prep, not forcing things and trying to be Superman. Also, being savvy in the game has led to him controlling and managing the game at a high level.” 

Up next

What: Arizona Wildcats (3-0) at No. 14 Iowa State (4-0)

When: 4 p.m. Saturday

Where: Jack Trice Stadium (Ames, Iowa)

Watch: ESPN

Listen: 1290-AM, 107.5-FM

Contact Justin Spears, the Star’s Arizona football beat reporter, at jspears@tucson.com. On X(Twitter): @JustinESports

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