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UNIVERSITY PARK -- Penn State's offense took an important step forward last weekend in the 31-23 loss to USC in the annual White Out.
The run game may still have had trouble finding its footing with 31 carries for just 68 yards, but quarterback Rocco Becht was able to throw for 289 yards on 21-for-32 passing.
"I thought Rocco certainly gave us every opportunity in the football game to be successful in the game," PSU coach Matt Campbell said.
It was a big step compared to where the passing game was at Northwestern. But Becht said he considers himself as a perfectionist and claimed he needed to be better.
"I felt like we took a small step today, but we just have to be able to finish," Becht said. "We're not there yet."
Penn State had a lead in the second half at 20-17, which was its first lead since the Wisconsin game.
But the Lions were only able to put up six points in the second half after scoring 17 in the first half.
Chase Sowell continued to show he can be the deep threat the team desperately needs in the absence of Koby Howard.
Sowell had 95 yards on four catches, and all of it came in the first half. Becht also targeted Sowell twice more in the second half.
"Do I think we are where we need to be? No," Sowell said. "I think we can still keep growing, but I definitely do think we took a step forward."
Brett Eskildsen also had 70 yards on four catches but had a costly fumble with just over four minutes left in the game that put the game to rest.
"I kind of talked to him when it happened. That does hurt," Sowell said. "You can have a great game, and that one play can just put you in a hole. The biggest thing is getting guys around him to tell him we still believe in him. He made a lot of great plays today.
"You can't just look at that one play that lost us the game. We had plenty of opportunities to score."
While the pass game grew last week, the run game is still hampered by a line that is struggling in run blocking.
Carson Hansen ran for 28 yards on 14 carries, while James Peoples and Becht both ran for 20 yards each.
"I think (the offensive line) will only continue to grow and develop," Campbell said. "You got five new guys working together. That group's got to continue to grow forward."
As someone who has seen just about everything there is to see in college football in playing for four different schools in his college career, Sowell is taking the lead in moving forward.
"I just told those guys we have to go back to work," he said. "I feel like we've been having good practices, and that's been allowing us to have good play, but we've got to keep it going."