Preparing for Penn State

The Bulls football squad will now head to State College, Pa. to face No. 15 Penn State (1-0) on Saturday after a 38-10 victory against Robert Morris last Thursday.

This will be the Bulls’ most difficult game of the season as they play at Beaver Stadium, which can hold up to 106,572 spectators. 

While the Bulls played a great game against Robert Morris, the level of talent separating Robert Morris and Penn State is massive and UB will have to play a perfect game to have a chance at a victory. 

Penn State started its season by dismantling Idaho, winning 79-7 at home. Both their offense and defense played well in the opener, with 673 yards of total offense while only allowing 145 yards from Idaho. They seem to be a balanced team as they ran and threw the ball at a very similar rate. 

Coach Lance Leipold and the UB football staff have a lot to prepare for Saturday night, especially with the amount of talent in the backfield for the Nittany Lions. Five running backs scored at least one touchdown each against Idaho and Penn State coach James Franklin will look to have similar success against UB. 

While Penn State’s offense looks to impress, its defense is talented as well, especially against the run. The Nittany Lions only allowed four yard rushing for the entire game versus Idaho and it will be difficult for the Bulls to have similar success on the ground as they did against Robert Morris. 

UB quarterback Matt Myers will look to throw the ball more in this game and to handle a solid Penn State secondary. Myers only threw 10 passes in the win against Robert Morris, but he will get more opportunities to show off his arm on Saturday night. 

This will be the most intimidating and difficult game for the Bulls on their schedule this season. Playing at Beaver Stadium will be a completely new experience for many players on the team as not many MAC schools will be going on the road against a college football powerhouse this season. 

The Bulls will have to be excellent on Saturday night to leave Beaver Stadium with a win, but it won’t be hard for the UB coaching staff to motivate players, as they still have a chance to do the unthinkable. 

Sports desk can be reached at sports@ubspectrum.com.