STATE COLLEGE - For the first half on Saturday, the Penn State offense looked a lot like the unit from week one.

A very vanilla approach, a lack of run blocking, and the inability to finish drives were once again all issues facing the Nittany Lions against Buffalo.However, in the second half against the Bulls something changed. An ingredient was added to the offense that's been lacking for quite some time.A sprinkle of speed and a dash of explosiveness to the running back position created the recipe to help Penn State come away with a 27-14 victory over the Bulls.The young man responsible for the change is former Whitehall running back and true freshman Saquon Barkley. His numbers reflect what he was able to bring to the Nittany Lions offense in the second half, rushing for 115 yards on just 12 carries, while adding a touchdown.It's the most yards by a PSU freshman running back since Silas Redd in 2011."I do think Saquon Barkley being able to make people miss tackles is helpful for us," said Penn State coach James Franklin. "We managed that today. He was in for passes then for third down we took him out and put Akeel [Lynch] back in. He just has to keep working."Franklin should feel good, because the change to the offense was evident when Barkley was in the ball game. The offense played with more confidence and the Bulls defense had to respect the run game when Barkley was in there as well.Penn State's offensive line was better on Saturday, which showed. Franklin, who was more involved in the play calling moved the pocket more, which gave quarterback Christian Hackenberg more time to make throws downfield.The identity of what the Penn State offense could be was flashed before the Nittany Lions' fans' eyes with an approach of running the football and then rolling Hackenberg out in the passing game, an offensive game plan that certainly makes sense with all the woes in the offensive line department."I think the offensive line played pretty well. I think we managed the O-line situation much better," said Franklin. "Being able to run the ball and move the pocket and throw quick gains, allows those guys to have success. I thought the O-line stepped up when they needed to."Defensively, the Nittany Lions looked much better, holding Buffalo to just 274 yards and 64 yards rushing.A lot of players needed to step in and make contributions with some injuries that are currently holding the defense back a little bit. Linebacker Troy Reeder and true freshman cornerback John Reid both played solid on Saturday along with the defensive line that was able to generate pressure throughout the day.Carl Nassib, A 6-7 defensive end, continued his strong play coming up with three sacks and an interception."I thought our defense played well, but I still think we can play to another level defensively, offensively and special teams, but I thought at times our defensive really took over the game," said Franklin. "I'd like to see them do that more consistently. Troy Reeder had seven tackles, I find that hard to believe; he seemed like he was all over the field and he did really well for a red-shirt freshman."Saturday showed a lot of positives that Penn State football can take and move forward with. It certainly wasn't the disaster from a week ago against Temple, and with Rutgers coming into Happy Valley this week, the Nittany Lions will once again need to be at their best.