No. 14 Penn State amasses 573 yards, routs Buffalo

Koby Howard and James Peoples each scored two touchdowns as No. 14 Penn State rolled over visiting Buffalo 55-13 on Saturday.

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Rocco Becht threw for 212 yards and two touchdowns for the Nittany Lions (3-0), who outgained the Bulls 573-173. Penn State went just 2 for 10 on third downs, but Buffalo was even worse at 1 for 15.

The Bulls (1-2) didn’t score a touchdown until the fourth quarter, when James McNeil Jr. (20 carries for 80 yards) plunged into the end zone. Jason Wright went 10 for 25 for only 60 yards for Buffalo.

After an early three-and-out by Buffalo, Zay Robinson’s 38-yard punt return set up Ryan Barker’s 48-yard field goal.

The Bulls punted again on their next drive, and the Nittany Lions needed only six plays to find the end zone. Peoples ran right for a 16-yard touchdown to make it 10-0.

Penn State promptly forced Wright to fumble, creating a short field for Becht, who threw a 3-yard TD pass to Andrew Rappleyea shortly thereafter to make it 17-0.

Buffalo’s Oliver Hautanen kicked a 21-yard field goal late in the first quarter to get the visitors on the board, but the momentum didn’t last long.

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Two plays later, Quinton Martin (10 carries, 100 yards) unleashed a 61-yard run to the Buffalo 7. That led to a 25-yard field goal by Barker just 46 seconds into the second quarter.

Penn State’s next possession began at the Buffalo 31 after another long punt return (30 yards) by Robinson. On the fourth play of the drive, Howard ripped off a 20-yard TD run as the lead ballooned to 27-3.

Becht’s 70-yard touchdown pass to Howard with 2:31 left in the half made it 34-3, although that left enough time for the Bulls to kick a field goal at the buzzer.

Carson Hansen, Peoples and Cam Wallace each tacked on a rushing touchdown in the second half as the Nittany Lions’ lead ballooned to 55-6.

Hansen’s 12-yard touchdown run and Peoples’ 11-yard scamper, which followed a Penn State fumble recovery, accounted for the third-quarter scoring. Wallace’s touchdown featured the junior running down the left side before cutting back for a 59-yard score.

Buffalo’s only touchdown came courtesy of McNeil’s 1-yard run on the Bulls’ final possession of the game.

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This story was originally published September 19, 2026 at 4:07 PM.