Penn State's final tune-up game against the Buffalo Bulls is tilted heavily in their favor, and they need to dominate.
Penn State's final tune-up game before the start of Big Ten play needs to go just as smoothly as the first two have.
Saturday against the Temple Owls was a little bit more of a struggle than opening weekend was against Marshall here; they put the hurt on the Thundering Herd. This weekend is going to be, needs to be, alot like that week one game back at home.
It is always a little bit tougher to go on the road, especially with a brand-new staff doing it all for the very first time together, and Penn State experienced it on Saturday. They had a slow start that they were able to iron out and get back to normal.
Now, as they head home this weekend, they have an outmatched Buffalo team coming to town that they need to handle.
As it stands on Tuesday, the Nittany Lions are 40.5-point favorites in a game that has a total set at 49.5.
Buffalo is coming off of a close win against Albany in week one, followed by a two-score loss to FIU last week.
If there have been any lessons from the first part of this season, it is to not take anyone lightly. You can tell Michigan and Oregon about that, as both of those teams have been in close fights as three-plus-score favorites, and the Ducks season is now derailed entirely because of a sleepwalk performance.
For Penn State, not only do they have to protect against the ultimate collapse, but they also have to get back to a clean brand of football.
The performance that they put on in week one was one that all fans could get really excited about. The offense looked smooth, the defense was dominant, and the result was a very easy win.
The game against Temple was just more of a chore. The final was never in doubt, but it was a little tougher for them to pull it off.
One of the brightest spots so far this year has been Rocco Becht's play. Becht has been nearly flawless and has shown that he isn't just a game manager. He has what it takes to be a really nice quarterback and a guy the Nittany Lions can win because of.
The final get-right game comes this Saturday back in Beaver Stadium. A clean performance here and the Nittany Lions will be set up for Big Ten play to kick off and their chase to Indianapolis to be underway.
