No. 14 Penn State (3-0) cruised through its final tune-up before Big Ten play, overwhelming Buffalo (1-2) 55-13 on Saturday afternoon at Beaver Stadium.
The Nittany Lion rushing attack had its best game so far with 304 yards, eclipsing 200 for the first time this season as six ball carriers had runs of 12 yards or more. Quinton Martin, who didn’t appear a week earlier, led the way with 10 carries for 100 yards, including a 61-yard gain in the first half. Cam Wallace added 77 on eight carries, including a 59-yard scoring run in the second half.
Quarterback Rocco Becht was efficient again, completing 11 of 19 passes for 219 yards and two touchdowns on a day that ended for the senior after one drive in the third quarter. Wide receiver Koby Howard, meanwhile, had another highlight reel day with 135 total yards on just four touches (3-115 receiving, 1-20 rushing), including a touchdown on a 70-yard reception and another on a 20-yard reverse.
The Nittany Lion defense held Buffalo to 173 yards on the day (60 passing, 113 rushing), but penalties played a critical role in Buffalo’s two first-half field goals and one touchdown late in the game.
Penn State opens conference action next week when it hosts Wisconsin for a 5 p.m. kickoff on Homecoming. The game will stream on Peacock.
HOW IT HAPPENED
1st Quarter
Buffalo went three and out on the game’s opening possession and Zay Robinson’s 38-yard punt return set the Penn State offense up at the Buffalo 37. A 5-yard pass from Rocco Becht to tight end Gabe Burkle and two runs didn’t move the chains, though, and Ryan Barker came on to drill a 48-yard field goal.
Penn State 3, Buffalo 0 (11:53)
After another Bulls punt, a pass interference call gave Penn State its first first down of the day, and two plays later Becht connected with Koby Howard deep down the middle for a 31-yard gain to the Buffalo 22. Running back James Peoples took care of it from there, picking up 6 on a carry then bursting around a wide open edge for a 16-yard touchdown run.
Penn State 10, Buffalo 0 (8:00)
Buffalo’s woes continued as Caleb Bacon forced quarterback Jason Wright to fumble on a botched handoff and Ikenna Ezeogu recovered at the Bulls 20. Becht hit Howard for a 14-yard gain, then on third down found tight end Andrew Rappleyea all alone in the end zone for a 3-yard scoring toss.
Penn State 17, Buffalo 0 (6:19)
Neither offense had much on their next possession, but after a short 32-yard punt by Penn State’s Nathan Tiyce and a hands to the face penalty against the Nittany Lion defense, Buffalo moved into Nittany Lion territory for the fist time. A pass interference call theen got the Bulls to the 21, and Wright completed a 16-yard pass to Chance Morrow at the Penn State 5. The Bulls got no more and settled for a a 21-yard Oliver Hautanen field goal to get on the board.
Penn State 17, Buffalo 3 (1:39)
Quinton Martin got his first carries of the day on the Nittany Lions’ next drive and immediately made an impact. After a 7-yard carry, the sophomore broke free for a career-long 61-yard gain before getting tripped up at the Buffalo 7. He added another 3 on the ground as the first quarter expired.
End 1st quarter: Penn State 17, Buffalo 3
2nd Quarter
Penn State couldn’t close the deal to open the second, with Becht taking a coverage sack for a short loss and throwing an incompletion on third. Barker made his second field goal of the day, this time from 25 yards, to extend the lead.
Penn State 20, Buffalo 3 (14:14)
The Nittany Lion defense continued to smother the Bulls, forcing another Ethan Stumpf punt that Robinson returned 30 yards to the Buffalo 47.
More explosive plays for the Penn State run game helped expand the lead, as Carson Hansen picked up a 16-yard gain before Howard took a reverse 20 yards into the end zone.
Penn State 27, Buffalo 3 (10:47)
Penn State’s defense kept up the pressure to shut down the Buffalo offense, but sloppy play from the Nittany Lion offense led to punts on consecutive drives.
The Nittany Lions got back on track on the first play of their next possession though, as Becht hooked up with Howard, who took it 70 yards to the house with two and a half minutes left in the half.
Penn State 34, Buffalo 3 (2:31)
Buffalo converted a fourth and 1 from its own 33 then moved into Penn State territory on a 21-yard Wright scramble as the half ticked down. A pass interference penalty got the Bulls into the red zone but intentional grounding by Wright under pressure derailed the drive. Hautanen made his second field goal on a 38-yard attempt as the second quarter came to an end.
End 2nd quarter: Penn State 34, Buffalo 6
3rd Quarter
Penn State’s offense came out sharp to start the second half. Becht went deep early down the sideline to Chase Sowell, who hauled it in over a defender for a 35-yard gain, then hit Brett Eskildsen for gains of 13 and 11. Hansen finished off the seven-play, 75-yard drive with a 12-yard run off the left side for the score.
Penn State 41, Buffalo 6 (11:29)
On the Bulls next possession, Nittany Lion safety Marcus Neal Jr. ripped the ball out of Nino Hill’s hands on a third-down run and recovered it at the Buffalo 33 to put the Penn State offense back in business.
With the game well in hand, Becht’s day was done and Alex Manske came in to lead the Nittany Lion offense. Peoples, Manske and Martin shared carries before Peoples burst through a hole for an 11-yard run and his second touchdown of the day.
Penn State 48, Buffalo 6 (8:14)
After trading punts, Penn State moved deep into Buffalo territory late in the third keyed by a 31-yard pass from Manske to State College native Finn Furmanek on a wheel route to the Bulls’ 5.
End 3rd quarter: Penn State 48, Buffalo 6
4th Quarter
Penn State moved to the 1-yard line, but on fourth down Cam Wallace couldn’t get into the end zone and the Bulls took over with their backs against their own goal line.
Buffalo punted again, and on the Nittany Lions’ first play from their own 41, Wallace got the edge and weaved his way to a 59-yard touchdown run.
Penn State 55, Buffalo 6 (12:31)
The Bulls used a heavy diet of James McNeil runs to drive to the Penn State 6. On third down, Liam Andrews hurried Wright into an incompletion, but a facemask penalty against Ibn McDaniels gave Buffalo a fresh set of downs from the three. Two plays later, McNeil punched it in for Buffalo’s first touchdown of the day.
Penn State 55, Buffalo 13 (5:01)
The Nittany Lions went deep into the bench the rest of the way, with Connor Barry coming in at quarterback and converting a third down on a 12-yard pass to tight end Bobby Mears. Carries by Wallace and fifth-year senior Logan Cunningham picked up another first at the two-minute timeout.
Penn State kept it on the ground the rest of the way to run out the clock.
Final: Penn State 55, Buffalo 13
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