3 Matchups That Will Decide Penn State's Week 3 Game vs. Buffalo

The Nittany Lions host the Bulls in their final non-conference game of the regular season.

Penn State Nittany Lions running back James Peoples (1) runs the ball vs. the Temple Owls at Lincoln Financial Field. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Penn State and Buffalo are set to clash at Beaver Stadium on Saturday in what will be the Nittany Lions final non-conference game. The Nittany Lions are 2-0 and have outscored their opponents 72-9 through two weeks, a strong start to the Matt Campbell era. 

How does Penn State extend its record to 3-0 against the Bulls? The Nittany Lions are 40.5-point favorites, according to DraftKings, so the result shouldn't be in doubt. Still, we examined three notable matchups in Saturday’s game, starting with the Nittany Lions’ need to contain a breakout wide receiver. 

Penn State’s secondary vs. wide receiver Chance Morrow 

Penn State Nittany Lions Audavion Collins (2) and Caleb Bacon (10) celebrate a play vs. the Temple Owls. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Morrow, Buffalo’s fifth-year senior, has had quite the start to his senior season. He has posted 18 catches for 218 yards and five touchdowns, or all of Buffalo’s scores this year. Saturday will easily be the best matchup yet for Penn State’s secondary, a group that is among the best in the Big Ten thus far. 

Pro Football Focus graded the Nittany Lions’ defensive backfield as the nation’s best in Week 1, and the group held Temple to 107 passing yards passing in Week 2. Owls starter Jaxon Smolik finished with a 56 quarterback rating, which was better than Marshall’s Carlos Del Rio-Wilson’s 17.9 in the season opener. 

Morrow (6-4, 192 pounds) will likely draw cornerbacks Daryus Dixson and Audavion Collins on Saturday, making for an interesting matchup. Dixson is Penn State’s young, promising corner, while Collins is a speedster who has been lockdown this season. 

"First and foremost, he's an elite talent," Campbell said of Morrow. "... He's got an elite catch radius, he's long, he's got the ability to threaten you down the field and, if you watch some of those catches in tight spaces, he's a real challenge." 

It’ll be interesting to see how Morrow’s frame matches up with Dixson (6-0, 184) and Collins (5-11,183) and whether he gives them any problems.

Penn State’s running backs vs. Buffalo’s run defense

Penn State Nittany Lions running back Carson Hansen (21) pushes forward with the ball during the second quarter against the Temple Owls at Lincoln Financial Field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Penn State offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser is not happy with how inefficient the run game has been so far this season. The Nittany Lions have rushed for 311 yards and two touchdowns in two games, averaging 3.94 yards per carry, 12th in the Big Ten. 

Carson Hansen, Penn State’s lead back, has been part of the inefficiencies. He has rushed for 132 yards and no touchdowns on 4.4 yards per carry but has not been explosive. Hansen hasn’t lost a yard in 30 carries but doesn’t have a run longer than 13 yards. He’s still searching for his first 100-yard rushing game after finishing last year with five in the last five weeks.

In Hansen’s way on Saturday is a Buffalo run defense that has been stout in 2026. The Bulls have allowed just 3.2 yards per carry and 113 yards per game on the ground, granted against FIU and UAlbany. 

Mouser likely will try to establish a run game and get his running backs some momentum heading into the Big Ten slate, which starts next weekend against Wisconsin.

Penn State’s wide receivers vs. Buffalo’s secondary

Penn State Nittany Lions wide receiver Chase Sowell (0) runs the ball while avoiding a tackle from Temple Owls cornerback Asa Locks (21) during the third quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Buffalo allowed 386 passing yards against FIU in Week 2, including three receptions of 35+ yards. The Bulls are susceptible to allowing explosives through the air, and the Nittany Lions have the speed to punish them.

Wide receiver Brett Eskildsen might be the fastest player on the team and can get behind a defense. While he hasn’t been heavily utilized thus far, with seven receptions in two games, he might be the key to the Penn State offense on Saturday. 

Wide receivers Koby Howard and Chase Sowell also can generate explosives. Howard caught a 56-yard deep ball from quarterback Rocco Becht to open up Week 2’s game against Temple, and Sowell, while he dropped the pass, beat his man deep against the Owls as well. 

Mouser wants to get the run game going, and the key to that is a strong pass attack, especially one that stretches the field.

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