UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – No. 14/15 Penn State football (3-0, 0-0 Big Ten) bested Buffalo (1-2, 0-0 MAC) by a 55-13 score on Saturday afternoon inside West Shore Home Field at Beaver Stadium.
Penn State used a balanced offensive attack in the victory, combining for 304 rushing yards and 269 through the air. Five different players recorded a touchdown, with four Nittany Lions tallying a rushing score and two hauling in touchdown catches.
Penn State's offense recorded 573 total yards on the afternoon. Redshirt senior quarterback Rocco Becht completed 11-of-19 passes for 212 yards and two touchdowns, his eighth straight game with at least one touchdown pass. Becht also surpassed 10,000 career passing yards during Saturday's matchup with the Bulls.
Sophomore wide receiver Koby Howard produced 135 all-purpose yards and scored twice, once through the air and once on the ground. The Pensacola, Florida, native booked his third straight game with a 30-plus yard reception and at least one touchdown catch. Junior running back James Peoples tallied two rushing touchdowns on the afternoon, and redshirt junior tight end Andrew Rappleyea added a receiving score. Redshirt sophomore running back Quinton Martin Jr. led the team with 100 rushing yards. Junior running back Cam Wallace found the end zone on a 59-yard rush in the fourth quarter, adding to the Nittany Lions' total.
Defensively, Penn State held Buffalo to 173 total yards, 2.7 yards per play and 1-of-15 on third down. Senior linebacker Kooper Ebel led the way with five total tackles and one sack. Ebel was aided by redshirt senior defensive end Caleb Bacon and sophomore linebacker Alex Tatsch, tallying four solo tackles and three solo tackles, respectively. Tatsch also recorded his first career sack for a loss of five yards. Redshirt senior defensive end Ikenna Ezeogu and junior safety Marcus Neal Jr. both had fumble recoveries, helping the team score 14 points off giveaways.
Redshirt freshman wide receiver Zay Robinson returned eight punts for 109 yards. Redshirt junior kicker Ryan Barker was perfect on the day, going six-for-six on extra points and two-for-two on field goal attempts.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After a quick appearance by the Buffalo offense, Robinson exploded for a 38-yard punt return to give the PSU offense a start at the Buffalo 37-yard line. The Nittany Lions were forced to call on Barker for a 48-yard field goal, which he converted with ease.
Penn State's defense forced another three-play drive, allowing the offense to take over at its 19-yard line. A 31-yard pass to Howard propelled the first touchdown drive of the day. Peoples finished off the sequence with a 16-yard run to the end zone, giving PSU a 10-0 lead at the eight-minute mark.
Bacon quickly ended the next Bulls drive, forcing a fumble on the second play. Ezeogu came up with the recovery, giving the Nittany Lions ideal field position at the Buffalo 20-yard line. Penn State converted four plays later when Becht found Rappleyea in the end zone.
Both punting units were called to action before Buffalo put up its first points of the contest. An eight-play drive that covered 53 yards was capped by a 21-yard field goal, aided by a pair of 15-yard penalties on the Penn State defense.
The Nittany Lions responded with an explosive 61-yard run by Martin Jr. Barker was needed back on the field when the offense could not find the end zone, kicking a 25-yard field goal through the uprights. Penn State owned a 20-3 lead with just under a minute removed from the second-quarter clock.
Robinson once again gave the offense optimal field position with his second 30-plus-yard return of the afternoon, and the Nittany Lions began the drive just across midfield at the Buffalo 47. Penn State utilized the run game to put its next points on the board. Running back Carson Hansen rushed for 19 total yards in the sequence before Howard finished the drive with a 20-yard run to the end zone. PSU owned a 27-3 advantage with just over 10 minutes remaining in the stanza.
Neither team gathered points on the ensuing offensive opportunities, with the Bulls punting three times in a row and the Nittany Lions punting twice. Penn State broke the scoring drought with just one play, a 70-yard touchdown pass to Howard. Buffalo managed to add three more points before the end of the half, despite the efforts of the defense. The Nittany Lions led 34-6 after 30 minutes of game time.
Penn State used a balanced attack to tack on seven more points out of the break. Hansen capped a seven-play, 75-yard drive with a 12-yard rush. Becht completed all three of his attempts on the possession, including a 35-yarder to wide receiver Chase Sowell.
The Nittany Lion defense came up with its second fumble recovery of the day, Neal Jr. responsible for both the force and the recovery. The offense took over at the Buffalo 33-yard line with quarterback Alex Manske in at quarterback. Peoples found the end zone for the second time on an 11-yard run to finish off a four-play drive.
A scoreless stretch of nearly 11 minutes was broken up by a roaring 59-yard touchdown run from Wallace, who became the fourth Penn State player to score a rushing touchdown in the contest.
The Bulls added their first touchdown of the day with five minutes remaining in the game, making the final score 55-13.
For information on joining the Nittany Lion Club and tickets for the 2026 Penn State Football season presented by PSECU, as well as club seating in West Shore Home Field at Beaver Stadium, fans can visit www.GoPSUsports.com, or call 1-800-NITTANY weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.