Q: Who Blocks for 534 Pass Plays and Doesn’t Give Up a Sack? A: Penn State’s Trevor Buhr

Former Iowa State offensive lineman Trevor Buhr — now a Nittany Lion for the 2026 season — was a definite burr in the butts of opposing defenses on passing downs over the past two seasons with the Cyclones. A legit PIA.

At Iowa State in 2024 and 2025, Buhr was a blocker for 534 offensive snaps that turned into pass plays — 218 last season and 316 two years ago. And not once did he allow a sack. Not a single busted pass protection.

It’s a stat that even surprised his offensive line coach, Ryan Clanton, when I shared that number with him after Penn State football’s summer training camp practice on Wednesday. Both Buhr and Clanton came to Penn State from Iowa State in the offseason with the Nittany Lions’ new head coach, Matt Campbell.

FOR CLANTON, the “534” stat hit home. He was a team captain as an O-lineman for Oregon in 2012 under then-head coach Chip Kelly, when the Ducks went 12-1 with Marcus Mariota at quarterback. 

“Zero? Really?” said Clanton, genuinely astonished. “Yeah, that’s cool. Because in high school he blocked like this.”

Clanton pulled his two arms tightly, his massive forearms locked across his chest. A small circle of reporters chuckled. Clanton was obviously kidding. Buhr was first-team all-state three times as a high schooler in Missouri, and was the state’s defensive player of the year in 2021. In addition to Iowa State, Buhr received offers from such big O-lineman factories as Iowa, Illinois and Nebraska.

Although the zero sacks stat surprised Clanton, the performance at Iowa State of Buhr — who at 6-foot-4 and 318 pounds is penciled in to start at left guard for the Nittany Lions in 2026 — did not.

“There’s a tenacity about Trevor,” Clanton said of the redshirt junior who is majoring in labor and human resources. “He can bend. He’s strong. He doesn’t want to let the quarterback get hit. For him, that means a lot.

“I think the best thing about Trevor is that he’s sick — but he doesn’t think he’s sick. Like he’s a really good football player. If you asked Trevor, ‘How good are you?’, his answer would be like, ‘I’m whatever.’ That’s what makes him elite. He really doesn’t think he’s arrived.”

BUHR, HOWEVER, arrived at the right answer on Wednesday when I asked him how many total sacks he surrendered in the 2024 and 2025 seasons.

“Zero,” the big guy said with a smile.

“What’s your secret?” I asked.

“Really, it’s just really focusing on my technique,” Buhr replied. “I try to keep it simple in my head. I focus on my set line. That was the biggest thing for me. Then, concentrating on the timing of my [blocking] punch. Focusing on those two things saves you a lot of time in passing situations.”

Buhr will also tell you that Rocco Becht, the starting quarterback the past three seasons at Iowa State who is now a Nittany Lion, also had a big role in Buhr’s sack-free diet. A savvy, agile veteran with 9,274 career passing yards, Becht had 39 consecutive starts at Iowa State, with 26 victories. Becht was sacked an average of just 1.36 times per game from 2023 to 2025, and rushed for 499 yards and 19 touchdowns.

“Rocco is obviously a great quarterback,” Buhr said. “He’s really good at dissecting defenses and getting the ball out quick. Rocco’s also very mobile, so he can run around and make a play whenever he’s needed.”

Having Buhr around definitely helped Becht. At Iowa State in 2024, Buhr allowed the least pressure per quarterback drop back — just 2.5% of the plays — among all the Cyclone offensive lineman.

IN 2026, BUHR WILL BE ON AN O-LINE WITH ALL NEW TEAMMATES. Slated to start at left tackle is Malachi Goodman, while Cooper Cousins (right guard) and Anthony Donkoh are expected to also be starters. All three were at Penn State last season. Texas State transfer Brock Riker will be the starting center.

All are good guys, says Buhr. Not a sad sack in the bunch. “Obviously, it takes time to build chemistry and then play with new guys,” Buhr said. “We spent a lot of time this offseason getting to know each other…hanging out, building that bond.

“And the closer we got, the easier it got. You want to do good for the other guy, to help each other out. Being as close as we are, that has helped us to grow together.”