Penn State vs. Buffalo Game Grades

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Sep 12, 2015; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lion players sing their school alma mater following the completion of the game against the Buffalo Bulls at Beaver Stadium. Penn State defeated Buffalo 27-14. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren- USA TODAy Sports

It wasn’t pretty, but Penn State notched its first win of the season in front of a rain-soaked crowd at Beaver Stadium. The Lions were mostly held in check by a Buffalo defense that was not great and the game was in doubt into the fourth quarter. But that’s when running back Saquon Barkley had his coming out party and Penn State scored two touchdowns in the quarter to pull away.

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As I mentioned in my prediction, this game wasn’t going to eliminate the unease with the offense. The offensive woes continued for most of this game, but there were some bright spots. Barkley, along with Chris Godwin, sparked the offense in the second half and the offensive line finished the game not allowing a sack. That’s a far cry from the 10 given up against Temple.

The defense was dominant, especially the defensive line and Carl Nassib. He wreaked havoc in the Buffalo backfield all afternoon. Penn State was also helped by a Buffalo team that couldn’t stop committing fouls, 14 in total for 107 yards. That included three chop block personal fouls and seven false starts.

All in all, it was a decent win for a Lions squad in much need of one. Hopefully this will be the confidence they need moving forward. Penn State welcomes Rutgers to town next week for a primetime conference matchup.

Let’s get to the grades for this game.

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