Penn State will face a variety of head coaches this season, some that they are familiar with and some they may never have faced before or even heard of. This week, they will be facing one if the most esteemed FCS coaches in history with a special knack for special teams play.
Here is more about Buffalo head coach Pete Lembo.
Pete Lembo, Buffalo Head Coach
- Overall record: 126-76
- Record against Penn State : N/A
- Record against ranked teams: 2-5
- Record against Big Ten: 2-4
Lembo is another former FCS coach that Penn State will face this season with much success. His 30+ year career has spanned over multiple schools in multiple roles. What has differentiated him from other coaches throughout his career however, is his specialty which has often been special teams.
He first started out at Lehigh University, in 2001. In his time there, theMountain Hawks never averaged less than eight wins. In fact,
Lembo is the winningest coach in Lehigh history, with a record of 44-14. He led them to two Patriot League titles and two FCS playoff appearance and was also the author of several famous upsets, including a win over Hofstra in his first year. Three of Lembo's players in his time at Lehigh went on to AP All-American honors.
In 2006, Lembo moved on toElon, where he also led the formerly moribund program to early success. Before his arrival, the Phoenix were 14-42 in five seasons. Lembo went 35-22 in his tenure in comparison. In fact, he had the Phoenix ranked for 34 straight weeks. However, nothing has been as impressive as his ability to form elite special teams units.
After a successful stint at Ball State, where he broke multiple program and conference records, he joined Maryland's staff in 2015, where he led them to become one of the nation's best kick and punt blocking units. They tied for fifth nationally in blocks over his first two seasons and ranked 25th and 21st nationally in kickoff return defense in both '16 and '17. He did the same thing to similar effect with Rice, where he took them from 114th in ESPN's Special Teams Efficiency Ratings all the way to 17th in his first season. They also ranked 6th in kick return defense, only allowing 16.12 yards per return.
He did the exact same thing with Memphis and on a much more national scale with South Carolina. In 2020, the Gamecocks were the first ranked special teams unit in the entire country. They tied for third in the country for most blocked kicks and second with five blocked punts. Multiple special teamers earned all-conference honors as well.
Now, as the coach of the Buffalo Bulls, Lembo has been rejuvenating yet another program, having led the Bulls to a 9-4 record and a trip to the Bahamas Bowl last year. While he has never faced Penn State, he is known for being a a giant killer and has faced several ranked foes. Penn. State must ensure they don't become his latest victim.
This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: A quick glance at Buffalo head coach Pete Lembo
