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KEY MATCHUPS P E N N   S T A T E   V S .   B U F F A L O | B Y P H I L G R O S Z W H E N P E N N S T A T E H A S T H E B A L L O T H E R M A T C H U P S PENN STATE RUNNING GAME 101.9 YPG, 2.9 YPC BUFFALO RUN DEFENSE 141.0 YPG, 4.0 YPC THE LOWDOWN Despite the fact that they totaled just 77 yards rushing against Temple, the Nittany Lions showed some improvement from last fall. If you eliminate the 10 sacks that Christian Hackenberg suffered, Penn State rushed for 136 yards on 17 carries, averaging 8.0 yards per carry. The team's leading rusher against the Owls was junior Akeel Lynch with 78 yards. The Bulls return just three starters on defense: junior CB Boise Ross, junior OLB Jar- rett Franklin and senior OLB Okezie Alozie. The key matchup here will pit Penn State's offensive line against Buf- falo's front four, which features four new starters and a new 4-3 defensive alignment. EDGE Penn State PENN STATE PASSING GAME 233.4 YPG, 11.0 YPC BUFFALO PASS DEFENSE 128.0 YPG, 9.8 YPC THE LOWDOWN Against Temple, Hackenberg may have had the worst performance of his Penn State career, completing just 11 of 25 passes for 103 yards with one interception and 10 sacks. Still, the Nittany Lions get the edge here. Buf- falo returns just one member of its starting secondary in Ross. Penn State used a five-man wideout rotation against Temple, with sophomore Chris Godwin catching five passes for 81 yards to lead the team. Buffalo has four new starters on its defensive line, but Penn State's offensive line has a lot to prove coming off of the Temple game. It will have to control Buffalo's front four for Hackenberg to be effective. EDGE Penn State PENN STATE PASSING GAME VS. BUFFALO PASS DEFENSE BUFFALO RUNNING GAME 212.0 YPG, 4.9 YPC PENN STATE RUN DEFENSE 100.2 YPG, 2.9 YPC THE LOWDOWN Against Albany, the Bulls rushed for 212 yards on 43 carries. Their rushing attack is led by senior An- thone Taylor, who finished with 104 yards on 17 carries in the opener. Junior Jordan Johnson added 69 yards on 11 carries. Penn State's defense had a disappointing afternoon against Temple, allowing the Owls to rush for 149 yards on 43 carries. The key matchup here will pit Buffalo guards Dillon Guy and Brandon Manosalvas against an in- jury-depleted Penn State linebacker unit. With Nyeem Wartman-White lost for the season and Brandon Bell's availability uncertain this week, the Lions will need some of their second-teamers to step up. EDGE Penn State BUFFALO RUNNING GAME VS. PENN STATE RUN DEFENSE BUFFALO PASSING GAME VS. PENN STATE PASS DEFENSE THE LOWDOWN Both teams fielded improved special teams in their respective openers. Freshman Joey Julius converted on his 34-yard field goal attempt vs. Temple, while Mark Allen and Koa Farmer did a nice job in the return game. Buffalo has two solid return men in Lisa and Martinez. Martinez took a punt 86 yards for a TD against Albany, while Johnson averaged 25 per kickoff return. Also, freshman Adam Mitcheson hit a 40-yard field goal. EDGE Even SPECIAL TEAMS THE LOWDOWN Although their campuses are only about 200 miles apart, this is just the second time since the start of college football's modern era that the Nittany Lions have taken on the Bulls. Back in 2007, the Lions routed Buffalo, 45-24. The first game in the series took place in 1900, with Buffalo defeating the visiting Lions on Thanksgiving Day, 10-0. EDGE Penn State THIS 'N' THAT THE LOWDOWN Buffalo has a new coach this year in Lance Leipold. Leipold comes to Buffalo from Division III Wiscon- sin-Whitewater, where he posted a 109-6 record and won six D-III championships in eight years. James Franklin and his staff can't wait to re-establish themselves after the Nittany Lions' embarrassing 27-10 loss to Temple in their opener. EDGE Even COACHING STAFF W H E N B U F F A L O H A S T H E B A L L PENN STATE RUNNING GAME VS. BUFFALO RUN DEFENSE S E P T E M B E R 9 , 2 0 1 5 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 3 BUFFALO PASSING GAME 255.0 YPG, 11.6 YPC PENN STATE PASS DEFENSE 178.2 YPG, 10.8 YPC THE LOWDOWN The No. 1 strength of Buffalo's offense is senior QB Joe Licata, a four-year starter who has thrown for 6,516 career yards. The Bulls also have four solid receivers in seniors Ron Willoughby and Marcus McGill and sophomores Collin Lisa and Jacob Martinez. Those four players combined to catch 11 passes for 160 yards and a TD against Albany. The Bulls' two top tight ends – Mason Schreck and Matt Weiser – combined to make nine catches for 83 yards. Penn State's depleted linebacker corps will have to find a way to win its battles with Buffalo's offensive guards, and SS Jordan Lucas will need to control Schreck and Weiser. EDGE Even

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