Penn State football will start training camp in a few short weeks and after that the season will quickly arrive.
So as July slowly turns into August it is time to look ahead to the opponents the Nittany Lions will face this season.
And so here are a few things to know about Buffalo.
Offense:
The good news for Buffalo is that senior quarterback Joe Licata and tailback Anthoe Taylor return for another season. The bad news — the Bills have a new head coach who is making the jump from Division III to FBS. To be sure, a new head coach is not a sign of failure (career record of 109-6) but it is a sign of early season learning curves.
Having two productive seniors in the fold is a big help, but how quickly they can get on the same page with new head coach Lance Leopold’s system will be the answer to how good Buffalo’s offense can be. Six starters returning on that side of the ball will help — replacing three offensive linemen will not.
Defense:
Buffalo only returns three starters on defense this year — but if there is a silver lining in that — two of the three returnees are at linebacker, the heart of the defense. Rebuilding an entire defensive front isn’t ideal and the Bills two-deep roster on defense is largely underclassmen. There is no guarantee that Buffalo’s defense will be bad, but certainly it’s the weak point on this team.
Biggest Game:
Playing in Happy Valley for a Week 2 meeting is hard to top, but the MAC has been known to produce some incredible games in its own right. If not Penn State, then an October 3 matchup against an explosive Bowling Green team in Buffalo is a chance to pick up a key conference win. It’s hard to top playing Penn State, but that game doesn’t mean much in the grand scheme of the Bill’s season.
Biggest Storyline:
Anytime you have a first year head coach that automatically becomes the conversation piece. Leipold going 109-6 in his career as a head coach is hard to argue with though. Everything about a new head coach is the storyline this year.
Prediction:
Penn State’s home opener rarely goes poorly for the Nittany Lions and Buffalo is no Ohio (Bobcats). Most of the rust from Week 1 should have been worked away and in a perfect world for Penn State that means getting meaningful reps for other players in the second half. Buffalo will learn a lot from this game, but that’s about it.
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