UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. (Interstat) — Rocco Becht threw for 212 yards and two touchdowns, and Penn State scored on its first two possessions and never slowed down in a 55-13 victory over Buffalo on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, at Beaver Stadium. The Nittany Lions improved to 3-0. The Bulls fell to 1-2. A crowd of 103,817 attended the Bowl Division game. Penn State controlled the line of scrimmage, won the turnover-free portions of the game and got contributions from all three phases. Buffalo moved the ball in brief stretches but could not match the Nittany Lions’ pace or depth. The Nittany Lions scored in every quarter and turned a fast start into a lopsided home win. Penn State led after a 48-yard field goal and two first-quarter touchdowns, then kept adding to the margin.

Becht, a quarterback from Wesley Chapel, Fla., completed 11 of 19 passes and guided Penn State’s offense with poise. He threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Andrew Rappleyea in the first quarter and later connected with Koby Howard for a 70-yard score in the second quarter. Becht’s previous outing came at Temple, where he completed 21 of 27 passes for 268 yards and three touchdowns in a 27-9 Penn State win. Against Buffalo, he managed the offense efficiently and let the running game and defense handle the rest. Alex Manske also saw time at quarterback for Penn State and completed 3 of 6 passes for 45 yards while rushing once for 3 yards. Benjamin Brahmer added one reception for 10 yards. Andrew Rappleyea finished with three receptions for 24 yards and one touchdown. Gabe Burkle had one catch for 4 yards. Brett Eskildsen had two catches for 24 yards. Finn Furmanek had one reception for 31 yards. Chase Sowell added a 35-yard catch. Zay Robinson had one catch for 7 yards. Bobby Mears had one catch for 12 yards.

Penn State’s scoring started with Ryan Barker’s 48-yard field goal. James Peoples then broke free for a 16-yard touchdown run. Becht found Rappleyea for a 3-yard touchdown, and Barker’s extra point made it a three-score game. Buffalo answered with Oliver Hautanen’s 21-yard field goal in the first quarter. Barker added a 25-yard field goal in the second quarter. K. Howard rushed left for a 20-yard touchdown, and Becht hit Koby Howard for a 70-yard touchdown. Hautanen closed the first half with a 38-yard field goal for Buffalo. In the third quarter, Carson Hansen rushed left for a 12-yard touchdown, and James Peoples added an 11-yard touchdown run. In the fourth quarter, C. Wallace broke loose for a 59-yard touchdown run. Buffalo’s J. McNeil Jr. scored on a 1-yard run, and Hautanen added the extra point. Matthew Parker kicked an extra point after Wallace’s score. Carson Hansen finished with five carries for 37 yards and one touchdown. Amarion Jackson had one run for 12 yards. Amar’e Glover carried twice for 2 yards, and Logan Cunningham had one run for 2 yards. The Nittany Lions mixed big plays with steady gains, and their offensive line created enough room for five rushing touchdowns.

Buffalo quarterback Jason Wright struggled against Penn State’s pressure. Wright completed 10 of 25 passes for 60 yards and rushed six times for 3 yards. The Bulls managed 13 points and could not establish a consistent rhythm. Miles Greer made five tackles for Buffalo. Will Clark added two tackles. Jacari Bennett had two tackles and one quarterback hurry. Buffalo’s best moments came on Hautanen’s two field goals and the late touchdown drive. The Bulls had entered the game after a 33-20 loss at Florida International and a 21-17 home win over Albany. They fell to 1-2 with the loss and will look to regroup in nonconference play. Buffalo’s offense finished with little room through the air, and its running game also struggled to generate explosive plays. Penn State’s defense forced punts and kept the Bulls from stringing together long drives.

Penn State’s defense delivered a dominant performance. Kooper Ebel led the way with five tackles and one sack. Alex Tatsch recorded four tackles and one quarterback hurry. Caleb Bacon added four tackles. Alexander McPherson made three tackles and one quarterback hurry. Cael Brezina, Bryson Williams and Josiah Zayas each had three tackles. Yvan Kemajou posted two tackles and two quarterback hurries. Liam Andrews added two tackles and one quarterback hurry. Armstrong Nnodim, Tony Rojas and Tyrell Chatman each finished with two tackles. Marcus Neal Jr., Ikenna Ezeogu and Daryus Dixson each had two tackles. Dallas Vakalahi, De’Andre Cook, Vaboue Toure, Ty Blanding, Keanu Williams, Siale Taupaki, Jahmir Joseph, Zion Tracy, Blaise Sokach-Minnick and Donte Nastasi each added one tackle. Nathan Tiyce punted four times for 162 yards. Zay Robinson returned eight punts for 109 yards and one kickoff for 17 yards, giving Penn State strong field position throughout. The Nittany Lions’ special teams helped flip the field and consistently put the offense in favorable spots.

The Nittany Lions improved to 3-0 after earlier wins over Marshall and at Temple. Penn State beat Marshall 45-0 on Sept. 5 and then won 27-9 at Temple on Sept. 12. Buffalo opened its season with a 21-17 win over Albany on Sept. 3 before falling at Florida International on Sept. 12. Penn State will host Wisconsin on Sept. 26 before traveling to Northwestern on Oct. 2. The Nittany Lions will then host Southern California on Oct. 10, visit Michigan on Oct. 17, host Purdue on Oct. 31, visit Washington on Nov. 7, host Minnesota on Nov. 14, host Rutgers on Nov. 21, and visit Maryland on Nov. 28. Buffalo will host Robert Morris on Sept. 26 and Western Michigan on Oct. 3. The Bulls will then visit Toledo on Oct. 10, host Massachusetts on Oct. 17, host Bowling Green on Oct. 24, visit Miami of Ohio on Nov. 3, visit Ball State on Nov. 11, host Central Michigan on Nov. 18, and visit Akron on Nov. 27. The Bulls remain in the midst of a challenging nonconference stretch before returning to conference play.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Penn State 40, Buffalo 17. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Penn State with a 99.3 percent probability to win. Buffalo had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of +40.5. The total score of 68 went under the over/under line of 49.5.