STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Freshman running back Saquon Barkley ran for 115 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries, all in the second half, as Penn State beat Buffalo, 27-14, Saturday afternoon in rainy Beaver Stadium.
Christian Hackenberg threw his first TD pass of the season and Joey Julius kicked two field goals for the Lions (1-1), who dropped last week’s season opener to Temple.
Penn State’s lead was just 10-7 after Buffalo quarterback Joe Licata hit Ron Willoughby for a 14-yard touchdown with 5:33 left in the third quarter. But the Lions scored on their next three possessions — on a 21-yard field goal by Julius, Hackenberg’s five-yard TD pass to DaeSean Hamilton and Barkley’s nine-yard scoring run.
Barkley, inserted for starter Akeel Lynch, also opened the second of those drives with a 33-yard run, followed by a 17-yard burst on which he hurdled safety Ryan Williamson.
Barkley became the first PSU freshman to rush for 100 yards in a game since Silas Redd had 131 against Northwestern in 2010.
Licata hit Marcus McGill for a 10-yard touchdown with 4:38 left, as Buffalo slipped to 1-1.
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Offense
Coach James Franklin had said in the week leading up to the game that he would reshuffle the offensive line, and he did, moving Andrew Nelson from right tackle to left tackle, Brendan Mahon from left guard to right tackle and starting Derek Dowrey at left guard.
That didn’t help much at first. The Lions’ two first-half scoring drives covered 24 and five yards, leading to a 22-yard TD run by freshman wide receiver Brandon Polk and a 22-yard field goal by Julius, respectively.
Then Nelson was lost on the last play of the first half with an apparent injury to his left knee — Franklin offers little comment on injuries — and Paris Palmer was inserted at left tackle.
PSU saw a promising third-quarter drive short-circuited when tight end Mike Gesicki dropped a sure touchdown pass from Hackenberg. Julius then kicked his 21-yarder.
Barkley then awakened the Lions. Wide receiver Chris Godwin also made a terrific fingertip grab of Hackenberg’s bomb for a gain of 38, leading to Barkley’s score with 9:02 to play.
Defense
With middle linebacker Nyeem Wartman-White out for the season after injuring his left knee against Temple, Jason Cabinda moved from an outside spot to the middle. Troy Reeder started on the weak side in Cabinda’s place, and Von Walker replaced an injured Brandon Bell on the strong side.
The Lions blanked Buffalo until the Bulls went no-huddle in the third quarter, fueling the 11-play, 78-yard drive ending with the Licata-Willoughby connection.
Special teams
DeAndre Thompkins’ 58-yard punt return set up Polk’s touchdown run. It was Penn State’s longest punt return since a 63-yarder by Derrick Williams against Wisconsin in 2008.
Besides his two field goals, Julius missed a 49-yarder early in the second quarter. Holder Chris Gulla also saw a snap slip through his hands on what would have been a 50-yard attempt with 1:45 left, giving the Bulls possession at their own 44.
Punter Daniel Pasquariello struggled, a recurring theme.
Health check
In addition to Bell, cornerback Grant Haley sat out for the second week. Both are believed to be suffering from ankle injuries.
Safety Marcus Allen also left the game in the third quarter with an apparent shoulder injury, but returned the next series.
Turnstile report
The announced attendance in the 107,282-seat stadium was 93,065, which was optimistic.
Up next
The Lions host Rutgers in their Big Ten opener, next Saturday at 8 p.m.