Strange school in a way. First, it’s the University at Buffalo. Not “of.” They can get touchy about that.

Second, they make you think of malt liquor.

Buffalo Bulls Mascot vs. Schlitz Malt Liquor Blue Bull

Maybe colored by experience of knowing which one has kicked my ass, I find the Schlitz bull more fearsome.

Pitt of course, needs a win. Buffalo actually kicked the crud out of UTEP 42-17, so they can score and play some defense. Pitt is saying what is expected.

“I will be the first to tell you, we aren’t looking past UB,” said Pitt receiver Derek Kinder, a product of Albion High School. “We have to get a victory to get the season started. Buffalo is an up-and-coming team, they’ve made strides and they’re looking to come in with a victory on Saturday and feel they have a good chance at winning.”

Pitt’s 2007 season crumbled with losses to Michigan State, Navy, Cincinnati and Rutgers by a touchdown or less. Its breakthrough came in the regular-season finale against West Virginia, ruining the Mountaineers’ national championship hopes.

According to Kinder, the positive feelings that came with beating West Virginia haven’t ceased. That speaks to Pitt’s confidence; even after the loss to the Falcons, the Panthers insisted they were the better club.

“After Saturday’s game, everyone was down, but Sunday’s practice was a real turning point,” Kinder said. “We had an upbeat practice and we turned the page to get ready for Buffalo.”

Glad they were.

For Buffalo, they are known these days from actually rising from sub-Temple-esque joke to nearly middle-of-the road in the MAC under Turner Gill.

Now in his third season, Gill is making people believe by leading the Bulls to respectability. Buffalo had won only 12 games in seven seasons since moving up to Division I-A in 1999 before Gill’s arrival in 2006. The Bulls have won six of their past 13, including five in Mid-American Conference play last season, and opened this season with a 42-17 victory over the University of Texas-El Paso on Thursday.

Gill was the 2007 MAC Coach of the Year, and appears poised to follow Florida’s Urban Meyer and Missouri’s Gary Pinkel and use his success as a springboard to a Bowl Championship Series conference.

“Obviously, (Gill) was an outstanding football player,” said Syracuse coach Greg Robinson, whose Orange beat Buffalo, 20-12, last season, “but he’s been able to take it to the coaching world.”

Gill has done so by taking a page from his mentor, legendary Nebraska coach Tom Osborne, and communicating with his players how to perform at a high level on a consistent basis. One method was to create individual highlight tapes so players can see their productivity and eliminate any doubts with continuous positive reinforcement.

Gill is a disciple and played for now Nebraska AD Tom Osbourne. Gill brought his own ideas to Buffalo, but also brought a couple Husker classics. Walk-ons.

Among the program’s most successful walk-ons was defensive end Jimmy Williams, an All-America selection in 1982 who went on to play 12 seasons in the NFL, twice being named MVP of the Detroit Lions.

Williams now works as the defensive coordinator for the University at Buffalo, where head coach Turner Gill has transplanted the Cornhuskers’ appreciation for football players without scholarships.

UB got plenty of contributions from current and former walk-ons in Thursday’s season-opening 25-point blowout of Texas-El Paso, especially from a trio of linebackers: Justin Winters, John Syty and Raphael Akobundu.

Appropriately, Williams also serves as the Bulls’ linebackers coach.

Hey, we have Austin Ransom.

They have a local high school player on the squad, so naturally he gets attention. It helps that he is also a All-MAC 1st teamer (the first in Buffalo history).

Davonte Shannon didn’t know the Buffalo Bulls from the Buffalo Bills, but the Jeannette star was willing to listen when they offered a Division I scholarship and the opportunity to play early.

All along, though, he was hoping to play at Pitt.

Instead, Shannon ended up to Buffalo, where he started at safety and led the Bulls with 123 tackles — the most by any freshman in the country last season — and became the first player in school history to earn first-team All-Mid-American Conference honors.

Wow. A freshman making an impact on a team, despite a lack of experience. What are the odds?

Well, Pitt doesn’t have much of a choice at Linebacker to start and play kids lacking in experience. Shane Murray’s knee looks to keep him out and Adam Gunn is done for the season.

Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said yesterday that starting outside linebacker Adam Gunn is likely out for the remainder of the season after an MRI revealed a fracture in one of the vertebrae in his neck. Gunn was injured during a helmet-to-helmet collision with teammate Scott McKillop in the third quarter of the Panthers’ 27-17 loss to Bowling Green Saturday.

“He met with the doctor this morning and he does have a small fracture in one of his vertebrae,” Wannstedt said. “He is out indefinitely and it could be the year.”

That just sucks. A senior. Injured by colliding with a teammate. A legit student-athlete — twice selected as an All-Big East Academic football player.

Now, Coach Wannstedt has to do something he hates. Play underclassmen and inexperienced kids.

Redshirt freshman Greg Williams, who had three tackles and two quarterback hurries, is expected to replace Gunn in the lineup, opposite fifth-year senior Austin Ransom. Wannstedt said redshirt sophomore Nate Nix and redshirt freshman Brandon Lindsey also could see playing time.

“You can’t protect outside linebackers, and I say that not being a smart aleck,” Pitt defensive coordinator Phil Bennett said. “With what these guys do, they’ve got to react, to play coverage, to play perimeter. They’ll be involved in some inside-run game. Are there certain things that you can dictate what they do? Yes. Play in and play out, they’ve got to play their technique, they’ve got to play fundamentals, they’ve got to execute what they’re trying to get done.”

Scott McKillop is going to have have a big game to help them.