Penn State was a 40-point favorite for a reason, and it proved that throughout the game on Saturday, beating the Buffalo Bulls 55-13 to close out out-of-conference play.
The Nittany Lions wasted no time showing they were the better team, forcing a three-and-out on defense and having a 38-yard punt return from Zay Robinson give them prime field goal position to start. While the offense went three-and-out themselves, a 48-yard field goal from Ryan Barker got them on the board.
The offense did eventually
start to click, with the next two drives being touchdowns. The first was a 6-play, 81-yard drive that ended with a 16-yard run from James Peoples and the second (aided by a turnover from the defense) being a touchdown grab from Andrew Rappleyea to give the Nittany Lions a 17-0 lead.
As a side note, Rappleyea later went down with an injury that very much looked like a dislocated right shoulder. He returned to the sideline with pads and helmet, per Audrey Snyder.
From there, the game was all but over. Penn State went into halftime up 34-6 and was really on cruise control for all of the second half. Alex Manske came into the game with around 9 minutes in the third quarter, highlighting how comfortable the Nittany Lions with their advantage.
The story of the day, offensively, has to be the running backs. After the first two games where none of the running backs could really get going, all four of Carson Hansen (5 carries, 37 yards, 1 TD), James Peoples (8 carries, 59 yards, 2 TDs), Quinton Martin (10 carries, 100 yards), and Cam Wallace (6 carries, 68 yards, 1 TD) had strong, efficient days. Martin, on his second carry of the game, went for 61 yards AKA an “explosive” run.
Let us not forget Koby Howard though. While the running backs were a welcomed sight, Koby showcased his big play ability once again. He had 3 receptions for 115 yards and 1 touchdown, and then added a touchdown on the ground with a 20-yard reverse.
It was another workmanlike day from the defense. While the raw sack (1) and TFL (4) numbers don’t jump out, this was a Penn State defense that really didn’t give the Bulls much of anything for the majority of the day. Before a 72-yard drive on Buffalo’s last possession of the day, the Bulls had only mustered up 101 yards through 3.5 quarters. You’d like for more “game-wrecking” plays like sacks and interceptions (it felt like Penn State dropped 3-4 INTs), but it was another very good day for D’Anton Lynn’s group.
All in all, this was the type of performance you’d expect from Penn State. It wasn’t perfect, but both offensively and defensively, the Nittany Lions showcased they are in a different class than Buffalo — and that was evident from the onset. Now, Penn State heads into Big Ten play, with Wisconsin coming to town for a 5 p.m. kick.
