3-0.

Penn State football flattened Buffalo 55-13 on Saturday at Beaver Stadium.

The Nittany Lions controlled the game from start to finish, with most starters taking a seat on the bench by the third quarter to give Penn State’s full depth chart work before the end of non-conference play.

Here’s a quick review of each position group’s performance against the Bulls.

Quarterbacks: B+

Rocco Becht has been arguably the steadiest presence on Penn State’s roster through three games, but Week 3 was his worst outing thus far.

Becht’s 58% completion percentage, 212 passing yards, and two touchdowns were all his lowest marks of the season. It also didn’t help that Penn State rumbled for 304 yards and five touchdowns on the ground. Still, Becht displayed more than enough poise to cruise to an easy win against a MAC team.

Alex Manske and Connor Barry saw some second-half tread after Becht was pulled from the game, with Manske completing three of six attempts for 45 yards. Barry completed his lone toss for 12 yards.

Statistically, it was the worst showing for the signal callers, but we can’t be too critical given the explosive ground game taking away potential volume.

Running Backs: A+

When your entire backfield rotation logs over seven yards per carry and at least one touchdown, you can’t give them anything less than an A+.

While Buffalo is undoubtedly the weakest team on the schedule, Penn State’s ball carriers ran rampant on the Bulls, with Quinton Martin Jr. leading the pack with 10 carries for 100 yards and a touchdown. His longest rush went for 61, and could have gone for more if the mythical turf monster hadn’t grabbed him. Notably, Martin did not carry the ball once in Week 2 against Temple, but he bounced back with a stout showing on Saturday.

Behind Martin, Cam Wallace had eight carries for 77 yards and a touchdown, and James Peoples had five carries for 59 yards and two scores. Carson Hansen, who drew criticism from some Penn State fans after back-to-back slow games, saw the least work, with five carries for 37 yards and a touchdown.

The explosive plays were exactly what Matt Campbell, Taylor Mouser, and the Penn State offense as a whole were searching for. Now, they just have to sustain it against Big Ten competition.

Receivers: B-

Becht completed only 11 passes against Buffalo, and just six to his starting three receivers. Koby Howard reeled in three of his five targets for 113 yards and a score. Brett Eskildsen was held catchless through the first half, but logged two grabs in the opening drive of the second half for 24 yards.

Chase Sowell made the most of his single catch, going up and over a defender for a 35-yard highlight-reel play. Zay Robinson isn’t a starter, but he’s made plays when the ball comes his way. This time, the redshirt freshman caught his only target for 7 yards.

It was another relatively low-production week for Penn State’s perimeter playmakers, but I’d point to the running game’s explosion rather than a lack of execution. They’ll be fine.

Tight Ends: C+

The slow day through the air impacted the tight ends too, as the five-man unit saw a collective 10 targets on Saturday.

Andrew Rappleyea shined the brightest, hauling in all three of his targets for 24 yards and a touchdown. However, the redshirt junior exited the game in the first half and did not return. Campbell said during postgame media availability that he could have played through the minor injury. Still, it hurt his production.

Finn Furmanek caught one ball for 31 yards, as did Bobby Mears for 12 yards, Benjamin Brahmer for 10, and Gabe Burkle for four.

Their role as complementary playmakers rather than a focal point in the Penn State offense seems cemented for now.

Offensive Line: A-

Penn State’s blockers allowed just one sack and three quarterback hurries on 67 plays against Buffalo. But the bigger point of emphasis is the aforementioned 304 rushing yards by the Nittany Lions.

The big guys consistently created gaping lanes for runners to slice through. This is even more impressive when you consider that starting center Brock Riker was pulled out of caution due to a minor injury, giving redshirt freshman Vaea Ikakoula an extended workload.

Wisconsin’s front will offer the first true challenge for Penn State next week, but for now, the unit looks tough to penetrate.

Front Seven: B

Penn State’s linebackers and defensive line didn’t generate many splash plays, but they operated with assignment-sound consistency.

Kooper Ebel notched the Nittany Lions’ only sack. Ebel also joined Caleb Bacon, Alex Tatsch, and Yvan Kemajou in corralling a Bull for a tackle for loss. Kemajou continues to flash, logging a pair of quarterback hurries off the edge with some textbook pass-rushing wins.

Most importantly, the unit forced two fumbles and sealed the gaps, as Buffalo’s running backs finished with 113 yards on 38 carries for a measly three yards per carry. Buffalo’s run game was useless as they went three-and-out 10 times.

Secondary: A

Buffalo’s lone bright spot coming into Beaver Stadium was receiver Chance Morrow, who racked up 218 total yards and five touchdowns in the Bulls’ first two outings. Morrow departed Happy Valley with just two catches for 31 yards on Saturday. Outside of Morrow, Penn State allowed just 29 yards on eight catches.

Zion Tracy, Audavion Collins, and Vaboue Toure each recorded a pass breakup. Additionally, safety Marcus Neal forced two fumbles and recovered one, capping off a truly dominating performance from the defensive backs.

Special Teams: A-

Kicker Ryan Barker was perfect on the day, nailing both field goals and making all six extra points. Backup Matthew Parker attempted and made Penn State’s seventh and final extra point.

Punter Nathan Tiyce booted away four balls for 162 yards. His longest went for 45 yards and pinned Buffalo inside their own 20-yard line once.

The most notable part of the special teams performance came courtesy of Robinson. He tallied 126 yards in returns, including 109 yards on eight punt returns. Two of those returns were over 30 yards and helped the offense start drives in Buffalo territory on multiple occasions.