Penn State vs. Buffalo Game Grades

Nov 1, 2014; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions cornerback Jordan Lucas (9) gestures to the crowd against the Maryland Terrapins during the fourth quarter at Beaver Stadium. Maryland defeated Penn State 20-19. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Secondary:

Right now, the secondary is the weakest part of the defense.  It’s not that they are playing terribly, but they just haven’t been impressive so far.  I think a lot of it has to do with cornerback Grant Haley missing the first two games.  Once he comes back, the secondary should be better.

Only one pass breakup was credited to the secondary and they seemed out of position on several plays.  Bulls quarterback Joe Licata threw for two touchdown passes.  On the second touchdown drive for Buffalo, there were wide open receivers all over the field.

There were some good moments for the secondary though.  There were drives where Licata had no where to go with the ball, allowing the front seven to get a sack or a throw away.  Marcus Allen led the secondary with six tackles and Trevor Williams contributed 5 more.

Maybe I’m being too critical of them, but I want to see a little bit more aggressiveness from the secondary considering they are known for that trait.  Hopefully Haley will be back next week against Rutgers.

Grade: C+

Next: Special Teams