Penn State football looks to continue momentum vs. Buffalo in Week 2

Penn State football hosts Buffalo in a Saturday night contest from Beaver Stadium. Can the Lions have a repeat of their Week 1 performance?

Penn State is coming off a complete performance in Week 1, a 79-7 shellacking of Idaho. Sure it was Idaho, but everything clicked and to put up nearly 80 points against any team is quite the accomplishment. The Lions now turn their sights to Week 2 and a visit from Buffalo.

Not a lot of history between these two teams. The Bulls own one victory over the Lions which occurred at the end of the 19th century. Penn State has won the other two games in the series, which at least occurred in the 21st century.

Last season Buffalo went 10-2 in the regular season and won the MAC East. They lost by a point to Northern Illinois in the MAC Championship Game followed by a loss to Troy in their bowl game to finish the season 10-4. It was the most wins in program history but the team lost a lot heading into this season.

The Bulls opened with a victory last week against FCS Robert Morris. The competition this week certainly steps up with their trip to Happy Valley.

Date: Saturday, Sept. 7
Time:  7:30 p.m. ET
Location: State College, Penn.
Venue: Beaver Stadium
TV: FOX
Live Stream: FOX Sports Go

Keys to Victory

Most of the key losses and departures for Buffalo this off season were on the offensive side of the ball. They are now turning to true freshman Matt Meyers under center, who faces his first FBS team Saturday night. Meyers only went 5-for-10 last week for 69 yards, but he had two touchdown passes and a 33 yard touchdown run along with no turnovers.

The important thing for Buffalo will be to keep Meyers protected. The offensive line is experienced so it will help. The Bulls have a one, two tandem in the backfield with Jaret Patterson and Kevin Marks. They combined for 165 yards and a score last week. Getting the rushing attack going will help to keep pressure off Meyers.

Penn State fans saw last week how fast this defense can be. They looked phenomenal and super athletic. The Lions need to keep the defensive pressure on Buffalo and their young quarterback. In this type of situation, it is likely Penn State can cause some turnovers.

Offensively, the Lions looked great last week as well. Sean Clifford was tentative in his first two drives but then caught fire, throwing for 280 yards and two scores. The Lions used five running backs last week and they all feasted with at least one score each and rushing for a combined 331 yards. Five backs might not play this week, but the Lions will surely use a healthy rotation.

Betting Odds

Odds courtesy of Bovada

Spread: Penn State -30.5
Over/under: 56

Prediction

Talent wise, Buffalo has more than Idaho on paper. They will put up more of a fight against the Lions and the game may even be close for a quarter. But this is when the Penn State defense will start to take control of the game.

Matt Meyers is making his first road start and it’s in front of 107,000 at night in Beaver Stadium. Good luck, kid. The Bulls offensive line will hang in for a bit but eventually it will break. They won’t be able to handle a relentless pass rush from Yetur Gross-Matos and company. Expect the Bulls to turnover the ball at least twice and Penn State will cash in on the mistakes.

The Penn State offense will play mistake free football again. Sean Clifford and the running backs put on another show. It won’t be 79 points, but the Lions win in comfortable fashion.

Final Score: Penn State 48, Buffalo 13