What We Learned From Penn State's Week 3 Blowout Win Over Buffalo

The Nittany Lions get their run game together in a big-play performance against the Bulls.

Penn State Nittany Lions wide receiver Koby Howard (6) breaks away with a run that would result in a touchdown during the second quarter against at Beaver Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

STATE COLLEGE | Penn State coach Matt Campbell ran right past the Beaver Stadium victory bell again after the Nittany Lions’ 55-13 win over Buffalo on Saturday. Maybe he’ll look for it when the Big Ten schedule arrives. It’s still that early in Campbell's Penn State tenure.

Regardless, Campbell’s team has looked good through three games, especially at home, where it has outscored opponents 100-13 this season.  

But what did we learn about the Penn State football team in its final non-conference game? Here are four key points from Saturday’s game at Beaver Stadium.   

Run game solved? Penn State’s backfield shines

Penn State Nittany Lions running back Quinton Martin Jr. (25) runs with the ball while avoiding a tackle from Buffalo Bulls safety Miles Greer (6) during the first quarter at Beaver Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Nittany Lions running back Quinton Martin Jr. didn’t play an offensive snap against Temple in Week 2. But after a strong week of practice, Martin earned a first-half role and took his second rush 61 yards, tripping inside the 10-yard line before he could reach the end zone.  

“It was great to see Quinton really had a great moment,” Campbell said. “I think if you ask Q, he would tell you it was maybe one of his best weeks of practice. And I think he took that into the ability to execute at a really high rate on the football field.”

Martin looked good on all four of his rushes in the first half, showing speed, explosiveness, vision, and even a silky spin move to evade a free rusher in the backfield. He finished his day with 10 carries for 100 yards, the first triple-digit performance by a Nittany Lions running back this season. It’s hard to argue against him playing more as Penn State enters its Big Ten schedule.

But the other three backs made their own cases as the Nittany Lions ran for a season-high 304 yards. James Peoples had a convincing game, posting 59 yards and two touchdowns on eight carries. Cam Wallace gained 77 yards on eight carries, getting 59 of those on a fourth-quarter touchdown run.

And starter Carson Hansen averaged 7.4 yards per carry in a limited role (5 for 37 yards) and scored a touchdown. But that begs the question: Should the backfield touches be spread more? 

Hansen has done a steady job keeping Penn State ahead of the sticks but still hasn’t generated many explosive plays, which Martin, Peoples and Wallace did against Buffalo. Hansen did have gains of 12 and 16 yards, but offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser might start to deploy Martin and Peoples more often. 

“All four guys really did some great things with the ball in their hands at some critical moment,” Campbell said. “I thought there was growth, but I also thought there was growth because there was some really good blocking on the perimeter. The ability to get the ball out in space and to be able to make some plays happen in space was really awesome, and I thought all those guys did some great things.”

Receiver Koby Howard makes Penn State’s pass game flow 

Rocco Becht 🎯 Koby Howard

LIVE on @BigTenNetwork pic.twitter.com/ZlYRoCoc8T

— Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) September 19, 2026

The sophomore has emerged as the offense’s most dynamic threat. He has Penn State’s four longest receptions this year and six of its top seven. Through three games, Howard has 344 receiving yards (114.67 per game) and three touchdowns, all while being used in many different ways. 

In the first half, Howard caught a pass from quarterback Rocco Becht at midfield and turned on the burners for a 70-yard touchdown. It was his second catch of the season over 50 yards and second touchdown over 35 yards. In the second half, the speedster hauled in a 31-yard jump ball against the Bulls.  

“Koby went up, and I don't know if anybody can catch the ball as good as that guy,” Campbell said.

Howard, a high school running back, also scored a 20-yard rushing touchdown after taking a reverse toss from Becht. The sophomore has turned himself into the go-to guy for Penn State. 

Positive update on two injuries

Penn State tight end Andrew Rappleyea in a good mood on his way to the alma mater after a 55-13 win over Buffalo. pic.twitter.com/ZtM0gZiXkd

— Mark Wogenrich (@MarkWogenrich) September 19, 2026

Two starters left the game on Saturday: center Brock Riker and tight end Andrew Rappleyea. Riker left after the second drive and was replaced by Vaea Ikakoula, who held his own, while Rappleyea went off in the second quarter after falling down awkwardly on his right side.

But Campbell had positive updates regarding both players. Riker was hurt entering the game and tried to play but wasn’t at full strength, so Ikakoula got a bunch of key reps. Meanwhile, Campbell said that Rappleyea could have played in the second half but was held out as a precaution.

“We really didn't know exactly what we would be with Brock going into the game,” Campbell said. “We wanted to at least put him out there. It still didn't feel like he was at 100 percent, [so] that just didn't feel like it was the right situation to leave him in the game. 

“Really the same thing with Rappleyea. [He] could have gone back into the football game. … [We] just didn't feel like that was the right situation for the development of the football team.”

Penn State’s defense alone might carry it to 10 wins

Penn State Nittany Lions defensive end Alexander McPherson (33) pressures Buffalo Bulls quarterback Jason Wright (7) during the first quarter at Beaver Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Penn State entered the game with the nation’s top scoring defense (4.5 points per game). Though the Nittany Lions gave up 13 to Buffalo, their first-team defense did not allow a touchdown for the third consecutive game.

The Nittany Lions allowed 60 passing yards to a team that threw the ball 25 times. Sixty. That’s impressive no matter the opponent. Buffalo quarterback Jason Wright completed just 40 percent of his passes and averaged 6 yards per completion. And he completed just one pass to leading receiver Chance Morrow until the fourth quarter.

That performance followed a 59-yard passing game by Temple starter Jaxon Smolik in Week 2, and the secondary was the highest-rated defensive backfield in the nation by Pro Football Focus (82.7 grade) in Week 1.

“That group is really talented, and they played a lot of football,” Campbell said. “... Those guys have played a ton, and then you have some really talented young guys behind them. It gives you some great rotation. It gives you the ability to rotate fresh bodies in, and not expect those guys to play like that for 60 snaps in a game.”

The run defense has been stellar, too. Penn State allowed 56 yards against Buffalo midway through the fourth quarter before the starters fully exited the game. And aside from having trouble containing Smolik’s scrambles last weekend, the Nittany Lions haven’t allowed very little on the ground this season. 

“If you're going to play great pass defense, you got to be able to play great running defense,” Campbell said. “And I feel like that's probably one of the strengths and how we were better today on first down and second down. I didn't think we were great last week against Temple, and I thought we made a great improvement there and got ourselves into some great passing situations.”

Maybe the most telling statistic, though, has been third down. Buffalo was 1-for-15, Temple was 4-for-12 and Marshall was 1-for-12. 

Sign up to our free Penn State Nittany Lions newsletter, follow us on social media and add Penn State on SI as a Preferred Source on Google.