Sept. 11, 2015
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Nittany Lions will begin the home portion of their schedule on Saturday at noon (ESPN2) against Buffalo in the first of five straight weeks inside the friendly confines of Beaver Stadium.
After opening on the road at Temple, Penn State (0-1) will clash against Buffalo (1-0) to kickoff the 56th season of competition at Beaver Stadium. The Lions will be looking to get back on track following a 27-10 decision in the opener.
"We are looking forward to being back at home in front of our friends and family and our supporters," said head coach James Franklin. "I think it's going to be really, really important for our team to be in this environment, and I ask for people to be positive, I ask for people to be patient and good things are coming."
The Nittany Lions had 15 newcomers see action for the first time during the season opener at Temple. That list included 10 redshirt freshmen and five true freshmen. Additionally, seven Lions started for the first time.
Senior defensive end Carl Nassib made the most of his first career start, shattering his previous career high of four tackles with 10 stops on the day, including one sack. As a defense, Penn State tallied 15.0 tackles for loss during week one, which ranked second in the national rankings.
Offensively, Christian Hackenberg completed 11-of-25 passes for 103 yards at Temple. Sophomore wide out Chris Godwin hauled in five receptions for 81 yards to lead the Penn State receiving corps. Junior running back Akeel Lynch finished with 78 yards on 10 carries, including a 42-yard touchdown run.
Led by first year head coach Lance Leipold, Buffalo opened its season against FCS-level Albany, earning a 51-14 victory at home. The Bulls boast an experienced offensive group but lost six defensive starters from a year ago. Senior quarterback Joe Licata went 20-for-26 with 246 yards and two touchdowns in the opener.
This will mark the third meeting between Penn State and Buffalo. The series is tied a 1-1, with the Bulls winning the initial game in 1900. The Nittany Lions scored a 45-24 victory over Buffalo in the most recent meeting in 2007.
The home opener will welcome the 1959 Liberty Bowl team during its reunion weekend. Led by Maxwell Award winner and Heisman Trophy runner-up quarterback Richie Lucas, the 1959 team earned the program's third bowl bid all-time and posted the Nittany Lions' first post-season victory in the inaugural Liberty Bowl. Penn State defeated No. 10 Alabama, 7-0, at Municipal Stadium in Philadelphia to finish with a 9-2 mark and the No. 11 Associated Press final ranking.
Penn State will also celebrate Community Heroes Day at the home opener. All community heroes (Police, Fire, EMT) were eligible for a special ticket package, which included a pre-game tailgate. Additionally, the Buffalo game is also Youth Football, Cheer and Dance day.
The home schedule is here. Welcome to the gameday preview for the first game of 2015 inside Beaver Stadium - Penn State vs. Buffalo.
Pregame Reading:
What to Watch For - Penn State
1. Junior running back Akeel Lynch is a Toronto, Ontario, native, but attended St. Francis High School in suburban Buffalo. Selected as the 2011 New York Gaorade Player of the Year as a senior, Lynch is familiar with several members of the Buffalo squad. He opened the season with a strong outing at Temple. Lynch tallied 78 yards on 10 carries (7.8 ypc) and scored a touchdown on a 42-yard scamper in the first quarter. Lynch has now rushed for more than 75 yards in four of his last five games and scored a rushing touchdown in four of the last five contests.
The Nittany Lions finished second in the nation with 15.0 TFLs during the opener at Temple. A big piece to that total was senior defensive end Carl Nassib. A former preferred walk-on, Nassib played his best game to date at Lincoln Financial Field. The New York native tallied a career-high 10 tackles, had 2.5 TFLs and notched a sack. A tireless worker, Nassib is poised to have a big season for the Nittany Lions along the defensive front.
"I thought Carl Nassib played really well defensively, a guy that's been as locked in and as focus and had as committed as anybody in our program," said Franklin. "I think our commitment levels is high across the board, but he's been a guy you have heard me talk about a lot for the last year and a half. I'm really proud of him and how he's played, and I expect him to continue to play well."
3. The Nittany Lions will be looking to get back on track following the Temple game. Consistency in how individuals communicate on both sides of the ball was a big point of emphasis throughout the week on the practice. Better communication lends itself to a higher level of execution.
"I thought practice was really good," said cornerbacks coach Terry M. Smith. "We feel really good about our approach to Saturday's game. Temple is behind us. We are moving forward. We are preparing for Buffalo, and I think we are going to be ready to play come noon on Saturday."
What to Watch For - Buffalo
1. Buffalo head coach Lance Leipold has a decorated career of success in college football. In his first year as a Divison I FBS head coach, Leipold previously coached at Wisconsin-Whitewater (Divison III) from 2007-14. He won six national championships during his eight seasons and compiled a 109-6 overall record. Leipold reached 100 career victories faster than any other head coach in NCAA history - at any level. Leipold's teams utilize a multiple set offense and a 4-3 defensive scheme.
2. Buffalo senior quarterback Joe Licata enters the game having thrown a touchdown pass in 13 straight contests and 27 of the 29 games he has started in his career. Licata was efficient in Buffalo's opener and is just 184 yards shy of third on the school's all-time passing list. Licata had nine of his 20 completions go to tight ends during Buffalo's win over Albany last week. Freshman tight end Mason Schreck led the receivers with five receptions for 62 yards.
3. Running back Anthone Taylor headlines the ground attack for the Bulls. Coming off a season with 1,400 rushing yards in 2014, Taylor tallied 104 yards and scored two touchdowns against Albany. Standing at 5-10, 210 pounds, the junior back is 74 yards shy of 2,000 for his career. Buffalo converted all six of its red zone opportunities into points last week, including five touchdowns and a field goal.
The Final Word:
The nation's second largest stadium, Beaver Stadium will play host to its 56th home opener Saturday. Opening in 1960, Beaver Stadium has hosted 336 games. Penn State owns a 265-71-0 overall record (78.9 percent) since the first season inside the stadium. Beaver Stadium has more than doubled in size since it moved across campus from its former site northeast of Rec Hall prior to the 1960 season. The Buffalo game will begin a stadium-record five-straight home games for the Nittany Lions. Beaver Stadium hosted four consecutive home games in 1977, 1982, 1986, 2002 and 2009, but 2015 will mark the first time in stadium history that five home games will be played in a row. Penn State has tallied 15 undefeated seasons in Beaver Stadium history, with the most recent coming in 2008. Penn State is 114-13-1 in home openers. ESPN2's live coverage of the Buffalo game begins at 12 p.m. with kickoff slated for 12:01 p.m. Beth Mowins (Play-by-Play), Anthony Becht (Analyst) and Paul Carcaterra (Sideline) will call the game.