The Nittany Lions are just two days away from the home opener against Buffalo. Leading up to the game, Penn State’s defensive recruiting coordinator and cornerback coach Terry M. Smith talked with the media in a traditional Q&A to preview the game.
It is no surprise that one of the first questions asked was related to the horrid loss against Temple on Sept. 5. The question was regarding the emotional turn out of the team after being defeated a game that was entirely in favor of Penn State.
“I thought we’ve had a really good week of practice. I thought the guys have been flying around. We’ve had an emphasis on communication. We’ve done a really good job with that. We have some younger players who are in there getting more reps than they did last week,” said Smith. “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.”
In regards to Penn State’s defense, Coach Smith emphasized how the team has primarily focused on communication in practice this week. The coach stood by his team and mentioned how communication on the field is in fact difficult, especially when playing in a big stadium. This was corrected simply by exaggerating the use of signals through out the duration of each practice. Smith is confident that his defense is fully ready and prepared to take the field on Saturday.
One of the downfalls concerning the game against Temple was not having Cornerback Grant Haley present on the field. Haley is one of the smarter players on defense and is able to provide depth to the numbers that Penn State has at the corner position currently.
“We need his presence and experience on the field,” said Smith.
The Nittany Lions have been closely studying Buffalo on film to also help prepare the defense. Buffalo’s offense consists of players with precise game-time experience, including starting quarterback Joe Licata.
“A couple things stand out. He [Licata] has poise in the pocket; a presence in the pocket, and he stands tall. He’s a pretty accurate passer. Then No. 2, he runs their system. They have a lot of plays where they have a run called, but they can also pull the ball and throw it to a single receiver. He seems to have grasped that system really well. He executed it flawlessly in the game against Albany last week,” explained Smith.
Licata handles the ball extremely well and can smoothly transaction a quick decision if the defense gets stuck. The Nittany Lions cannot be fooled by his deceivable ball-fake either. With this type of opponent the corners must stay disciplined by staying in their coverage- no exceptions.
Coach Terry M. Smith is a former Penn State football player and uses his experience as a Nittany Lion in his coaching whether it is good, bad, or ugly.
“I played on Joe Paterno’s first losing team. I experienced one of maybe the lower points in Penn State Football. You always draw on your experiences as a player and try to teach your players certain things and certain aspects of how to handle it. No one wants to go out and lose a game. But those things happen. That’s the beauty of sports. The life lessons that are taught here are so valuable as you go from being a young man to being a man by the time you leave college. You draw on your experiences and try to help our guys,” said the proud coach.
The Nittany Lions will host Buffalo at Beaver Stadium with a traditional 12 p.m. kick off and will be aired on ESPN2.
