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Buffalo coach Pete Lembo said Elijah strained his knee at FIU and did not practice Tuesday. Jason Wright took first-team reps and would start if the situation did not resolve later in the week. Wright showed explosive-play ability but needs cleaner operation and a better feel for live pressure; Lembo did not announce a permanent quarterback change.
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Lembo said Buffalo running back Terrence has an arm fracture and is expected to miss four to six weeks. Burch, McNeel and Nino Hill must absorb more backfield work, reducing their special-teams availability. He emphasized pass protection and consistent off-ball execution from the replacement backs, not just their rushing ability.
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Buffalo missed 20 tackles at FIU, including a short third-down completion that became a 68-yard touchdown. Lembo identified option routes, glances and RPOs as problems for the secondary, while the offense also failed to run efficiently. The veteran defense has specific coverage and tackling corrections to make; late improvement did not erase the earlier explosive-play breakdowns.
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Lembo described Penn State's offense as run-first and formation-heavy, using multiple tight ends and extra linemen to widen edges and make perimeter defenders tackle. Zone, duo and counter runs support play-action, screens and RPOs, with tempo mixed in. Moving tight ends between attached, wing and slot alignments creates run/pass conflicts rather than simply adding blockers.
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Lembo described Penn State's defense as roughly 70% four-down fronts with three- and five-man variations and eight or nine linemen rotating. On passing downs he expects crowded-line simulated pressures, defenders dropping out, Cover 2/Tampa 2 and man coverage; he also noted double-edge pressure and red-zone bear fronts. These are Buffalo's scouting observations, not a fixed call sheet.