No. 14 Penn State heads into Saturday’s matchup with Buffalo unbeaten, but the Nittany Lions aren’t treating a 2-0 start like a finished product.
After a 45-0 shutout of Marshall and a 27-9 win over Temple, Penn State is still searching for the kind of full-game performance that feels cleaner from start to finish. Against Temple, the Nittany Lions piled up a 416-283 edge in total yards, but they also lost the time-of-possession battle and never fully separated in the way a top-15 team would want.
“I think (we took positives in) the way we played offensively in second, third and fourth quarter, punted one time in the football game, had a lot of positive execution in the football game, too,” said Nittany Lions coach Matt Campbell. “How we want to play offense, we have to be better. We'll continue to do a great job of that.”
Rocco Becht was sharp in the passing game last weekend, going 21 of 27 for 268 yards and three touchdowns. Two of those scores went to Benjamin Brahmer, giving Penn State a reliable punch through the air even as the ground game continues to look for more explosiveness.
Carson Hansen led the rushing effort against Temple with 84 yards on 19 carries, though none of those runs went for more than 13 yards. That followed a quieter day on the ground against Marshall, when Penn State finished with 45 rushing attempts for 163 yards, an average of 3.6 per carry.
“I think the reality of that running back room, there's still some gray (area),” Campbell said. “That room is going to continue to work itself out as we work through the weeks, work through these games.
I think we're grateful there are a lot of guys that can do a lot of things with the ball in their hands. We'll see how practice progresses through this week, for sure.”
Defensively, Penn State has been stingy, allowing only nine points through eight quarters. Even with that kind of production, the standard inside the program remains high.
“In our eyes, we didn't have a great game,” linebacker Tony Rojas said after finishing with a team-high seven tackles and an interception. “Coach Campbell realized that and us players did, too.”
Now comes Buffalo, which arrives at 1-1 and looking to bounce back after a 33-20 loss to Florida International. The Bulls opened with a 21-17 win over Albany, then slipped last week despite a strong day from Chance Morrow, who caught 11 passes for 173 yards and two touchdowns. Morrow has accounted for all five of Buffalo’s touchdowns this season.
Jason Wright threw for 185 yards and two touchdowns against Florida International, but he also had an interception and completed fewer than half his passes. He stepped in after starter Elijah Holmes suffered an apparent knee injury.
“I was grateful for the opportunity, for sure,” Wright said. “I'm praying for Eli and hoping everything's well with him.”
Terrance Shelton Jr. was Buffalo’s leading rusher with 34 yards on nine carries, a tough day for the Bulls’ ground attack.
“He's so easy to throw to,” Wright said. “Just give him a chance, hence his name.”
Buffalo has had little success against power-conference and ranked competition, going 1-13 all-time against Big Ten teams and 2-16 all-time against ranked opponents. Penn State, meanwhile, has won 27 straight regular-season games against nonconference foes and will try to keep that run going Saturday in University Park, Pa.
In Other News...
Buffalo Coach Sees One Clear Problem With Facing Penn State
Pete Lembo had plenty to say about what Buffalo is walking into at Beaver Stadium, and his breakdown came with the kind of specificity that usually comes only after a coach has spent real time studying an opponent. The Buffalo head coach pointed to Penn State linebacker Tony Rojas, a player he once recruited at South Carolina, and also singled out middle linebacker Kooper Ebel as a steady defensive presence. He did not stop there, either, adding praise for quarterback Rocco Becht and special teams coordinator Justin Lustig as he sized up a roster that looks deep enough to challenge almost every phase of the game.
For Penn State, the interesting part is not just that an opponent noticed the obvious talent. It is that Lembo framed the matchup around the parts of the roster that can tilt a game before the box score ever settles in, from defense to special teams to the quarterback spot. When an opposing coach comes away talking in those terms, it usually means he sees only one clean path for his own team, and it is not the easy one. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State's Spending Reality Just Raised A Bigger Contender Question
Penn States place in the new college football financial order is getting harder to ignore. The Nittany Lions projected 2026 roster budget sits in the $29 million to $32 million range, a number that leaves them 21st nationally and seventh in the Big Ten, well behind the sports biggest spenders such as Ohio State and Oregon. In a league where roster construction has become as much about money as recruiting, that gap is a real part of the conversation around how Penn State keeps pace.
The roster churn only sharpens the issue. Penn State has 62 new players this season, including 40 transfers, and the program has had to navigate the balancing act of holding onto key contributors while adding talent through the portal. Matt Campbell has managed the budget pressures by keeping important pieces in place and bringing in transfers from his previous team, but the broader question remains whether that approach is enough for Penn State to stay in the same competitive tier as the leagues highest rollers. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State May Have Found Its Next Tight End Problem For Defenses
A new tight end presence has already started to change how Penn State can attack defenses. Benjamin Brahmer, the 6-foot-7, 250-pound transfer from Iowa State, has played two games and wasted little time making himself part of the conversation, catching six of nine targets for 87 yards and three touchdowns while flashing the kind of size and versatility that usually creates problems for opposing coverages.
Brahmers value has gone beyond the stat sheet, too. His strong pass-blocking grade and the trust he earned from quarterback Rocco Becht at Iowa State point to a player who can help in multiple phases, and the early signs around his physical development have only added to the intrigue about how high his ceiling might be at tight end. If this is just the start, Penn State may have found a matchup piece defenses will be forced to account for every week. [Read more 🡒]