How can Buffalo keep it close against Penn State football? Here are the 2 key matchups
No. 15 Penn State is expected to dominate Buffalo at 7:30 p.m. Saturday — the Nittany Lions are 29.5-point favorites — but, if PSU wants to win big, it still needs to dominate its matchups.
Here are the two key matchups to Saturday night’s game that we think are worth keeping an eye on:
Josh Moyer: Penn State front-seven vs. Buffalo rushing attack
This pick isn’t hard to explain. Buffalo is replacing virtually every impact player in the passing game from last season. Last year’s MAC Offensive Player of the Year, QB Tyree Jackson, left early for the NFL — and then the Bulls’ top-two remaining receivers and tight end left via the transfer portal.
The running game, on the other hand? Buffalo boasts one of its conference’s better offensive lines, and it might have the MAC’s best one-two punch at running back with Kevin Marks and MAC Freshman of the Year Jaret Patterson. If Buffalo keeps Saturday night’s game close, it’s likely not going to be the result of a redshirt freshman signal-caller who’s making his second career start in a night game at Beaver Stadium — after throwing 10 passes Week 1.
Idaho was a joke. We learned virtually nothing from the first-team defense in that game; this should provide at least a moderate challenge. Will Yetur-Gross Matos dominate one of the MAC’s best left tackles in Evin Ksiezarczyk? Can this defense, which struggled early last season stopping the run, contain the outside when the Bulls run the inevitable stretch or counter-y plays?
Well, yes. Probably. But this isn’t just a “gimme” matchup. Four of five starters on Buffalo’s offensive line return, and RT Kayode Awosika and LG Paul Nosworthy are both solid players. The Nittany Lions were impressive against Idaho, but the talent disparity bordered on ridiculous. Against Buffalo? The disparity in this matchup isn’t nearly as enormous; the Bulls’ OL might even better than a Big Team or two. (Northwestern’s sub-par starting OL, for example, weighs a single pound more than the Bulls’.)
This is the matchup I’m looking forward to see. If Penn State dominates like it did last week, that bodes very well for Penn State’s defensive line — and the entire defense — moving forward.
Jon Sauber: Penn State pass defense vs. Buffalo QB Matt Myers
Penn State will take on a Buffalo team that won its Week 1 matchup with Robert Morris with a strong rushing attack. The Bulls ran 47 times for 285 yards and three touchdowns in their 38-10 victory over the Colonials, and only attempted 10 passes in the entire game. Unfortunately for Buffalo, it’s not likely they’ll be able to rely on the run game against the Nittany Lions.
The Nittany Lions held the top two Idaho running backs, Kiahn Martinez and Aundre Carter, to 17 carries for 48 yards in the game. Buffalo will present a better run game, but it’s unlikely to have resounding success against Penn State.
That will leave the fate of the Bulls at first-year starting quarterback Matt Myers’ feet. Myers is a redshirt freshman who made his first career start against Robert Morris and completed 5-of-10 passes for 69 yards and two touchdowns. Myers also showed the ability to make plays with his feet, running four times for 47 yards and a touchdown.
He’ll be tasked with beating Penn State through the air Saturday night if the Bulls want to have a chance in this one. The Penn State pass rush will likely put pressure on Myers early and often, making his ability to find, and connect with, open receivers quickly vital to Buffalo’s hopes.
If he can make quick reads and get the ball to his pass-catchers, it will go a long way to neutralizing players such as Penn State defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos, who finished Week 1 with 2.5 sacks. If Gross-Matos, and the rest of the Penn State defensive line is able to put pressure on Myers, this one could get ugly.
This story was originally published September 4, 2019 at 5:39 PM.