Penn State kept stacking up the wins, and the latest Coaches Poll bumped the Nittany Lions to No. 14.
That rise came Sunday when USA Today released the US LBM Coaches Poll, with Penn State moving up one spot from No. 15 after Saturday’s 55-13 rout of Buffalo. The Nittany Lions opened the season at No. 17, climbed after beating Marshall, then moved up again following the win over Temple before making another jump this week.
Penn State picked up 814 points in the voting. That left the Nittany Lions 19 points behind No.
13 Tennessee and 71 points ahead of No. 15 Utah.
At the top of the poll, Texas sits at No. 1 with 46 first-place votes. Georgia is No. 2 with 16, Notre Dame is No. 3 with two, Indiana is No. 4 with nine and Miami is No. 5 with one. Ole Miss, Ohio State, Alabama, BYU and Texas Tech round out the top 10.
Indiana is the Big Ten’s highest-ranked team, and the league has plenty of representation throughout the poll. Along with Penn State, Ohio State, USC, Oregon, Iowa, Michigan and Washington are all in the top 25. UCLA is listed as t-No. 37 unofficially, while Nebraska sits at No. 40 and Northwestern at No. 42 among teams receiving votes.
Penn State is 3-0 in its first season under coach Matt Campbell, who is not listed as a Coaches Poll voter. The Buffalo game was never close once the Nittany Lions got rolling at Beaver Stadium. Penn State piled up 304 rushing yards at 7.4 yards per carry, with redshirt sophomore Quinton Martin Jr. leading the way on 10 carries for 100 yards.
The ground attack kept coming behind redshirt junior Cam Wallace, junior James Peoples and senior Carson Hansen. Wallace had eight carries for 77 yards, Peoples ran eight times for 59 yards, and Hansen added five carries for 37 yards. Each scored a rushing touchdown.
Rocco Becht went 11-of-19 for 212 yards and two touchdowns, and Penn State spread the ball around to 10 different receivers through Becht, redshirt freshman Alex Manske and senior Connor Barry. Wide receiver Koby Howard kept his fast start going with four offensive touches for 135 yards and two touchdowns.
The defense did its part, too, holding Buffalo to 173 total yards and 2.7 yards per play. Kooper Ebel had the only sack, and Ebel, Caleb Bacon, Alex Tatsch and Yvan Kemajou all recorded tackles for loss.
Penn State now turns to Big Ten play, opening conference action against Wisconsin at Beaver Stadium on Sept. 26.
Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. ET, with the game to be streamed on Peacock and televised on NBC Sports Network.
In Other News...
Penn State Already Has A New QB Question Fans Can't Ignore
Penn States non-conference tune-up slate against Marshall, Temple and Buffalo did not leave the quarterback picture any clearer, even with Rocco Becht opening all three games. The starter showed he can push the ball downfield, but the offense never got fully settled with him, and the red zone remains a problem area the staff still has to sort through.
Redshirt freshman Alex Manske also got his chances, and he looked capable enough to keep the conversation going with a handful of accurate throws and a few near completions that hinted at more upside. Connor Barry even saw the field, which only added to the sense that this is more than a one-man evaluation, and Manske appears to be positioning himself as the name to watch when Penn State starts thinking about next year. [Read more 🡒]
Bill OBrien Just Added Weight To Penn States Matt Campbell Bet
Bill OBriens take carried a little extra weight because he knows both sides of this equation. The former Penn State head coach, now at Boston College, publicly backed Matt Campbell as the Nittany Lions new leader, praising the hire and pointing to the scale of the job in State College. OBrien has lived the pressure and the expectations that come with that chair, so his approval is the kind of detail Penn State fans notice.
Campbell also has a small connection point through one of his past staffing moves, having hired a former Boston College assistant. Its another reminder that big college football decisions are rarely made in a vacuum, and Penn States new coach is stepping into a job with real history attached to it. OBriens endorsement does not settle every question, but it does add another layer to the early read on how Campbell fits the role. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Suddenly Has A Backfield Question Fans Will Notice
Quinton Martin Jr. was back in the conversation against Buffalo after sitting out Penn States game against Temple, and the change did not happen by accident. The young back responded by putting in the work on the practice field, caught the attention of coach Matt Campbell, and then earned meaningful snaps when the Nittany Lions got another look at their rotation. His payoff came with 10 carries for 100 yards, a strong reminder that opportunities in the backfield can come quickly when a player keeps pressing.
Martin has also drawn notice from teammates, which matters in a room where every rep is evaluated closely. The bigger question now is how Penn State sorts out those carries going forward, especially with Martin making it clear he wants to keep improving and force his way into more playing time. For a team still shaping its backfield pecking order, his response to one missed game has only made the next decisions more interesting. [Read more 🡒]