Call it the back end of a long overdue home-and-home series. Or a chance at revenge.

The last time Buffalo and Penn State played was 26 years before the birth of coach Joe Paterno. There was still no such thing as a forward pass, and the Nittany Lions still played at Old Beaver Field, located in the heart of the present campus.

When Penn State meets Buffalo at noon tomorrow at Beaver Stadium, it will be the second time they've played each other.

The first time they played was in 1900. Buffalo won, 10-0, at home.

To say times have changed might be an understatement.

"When [people] read these articles or see something about football back in those days ... they think of it as today's game," Penn State sports historian Lou Prato said. "It was not today's game."

No. 12 Penn State is currently looking to continue momentum after last week's win against Notre Dame.

The Lions defense has been smothering, ranking second nationally in total defense through the first two weeks.

The Lions (2-0) will look to tamp down offensive issues that have dogged them against Buffalo (1-1), an NCAA cellar dweller since it became a Football Bowl Subdivision school nine years ago.

The running game, which came alive late against Notre Dame, has been largely underwhelming. Running back Austin Scott and the offensive line have needed time in both games to figure out defensive schemes, warming up only after halftime.

"It's not a big league offensive line yet, but there's a lot of good athletes on it," Joe Paterno said. "When they're comfortable, they can do a good job. But the first two games were two different defensive schemes, and I think we struggled a little bit in the first half to get comfortable."

Quarterback Anthony Morelli showed frustration this week about the continual prodding of his performance. He was 12 of 22 for 131 yards, with one touchdown and an interception.

"Stats are so overrated, it's ridiculous," Morelli said. "I'm tired of hearing about it. ... Why does it matter when we win the football game?"

But before Morelli was a face of the team, before there was even a passing quarterback, Leroy (Henny) Scholl was Penn State's star.

Scholl, who played in the first Penn State-Buffalo game, was a Lion from 1896-1901 -- six years. The 6-foot, 195-pound Scholl played left tackle but was known for his running ability.

"The rules were such, they didn't permit passing and anyone could run with the ball," Prato said. "The guy showed up with a scowl on his face. He was a mean S.O.B. Apparently, he was a pretty nice guy off the field."

The first Penn State-Buffalo game was on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 29, 1900, in Buffalo, N.Y. Not many teams came to State College to play then, Prato said, so "Penn State kids had to ride the wagon and horse to ride the train" to play at schools like Navy, Princeton, Yale and Harvard.

Buffalo was the final game of Penn State's 1900 season, which was William (Pop) Golden's first year coaching at Penn State. The Lions went 4-6-1 in 1900; Buffalo went 3-2-2.

"Pop Golden was one of the great characters in Penn State history," Prato said. "He was a guy that opened up recruiting. He started fundraising. You talk about the similarities. All the stuff people talk about today."

Indeed, it all comes full circle.

"History repeats itself," Prato said. "It's just amazing."