MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. — There are three types of players, as they say around the Buffalo football team. You’re either a marshmallow, a jellybean or a stone.



What happens when you’re thrown into the fire? A marshmallow will melt and get soft. A jellybean may have a harder exterior, but go deeper and it, too, gets soft.



A stone will shine and become harder as the heat turns up. Those are the players Buffalo wants.



That’s the mantra head strength and conditioning coach Lewis Caralla has preached in his first year on staff. Maybe it’s a bit corny, but there’s no doubting Buffalo’s 5-1 start to the season, its best since 1996, and the NFL talent being developed in the program. The Bulls possess rare star power for a Mid-American Conference team, with players like senior wide receiver Anthony Johnson, who had 1,356 yards last year and could become a first-round pick; junior quarterback Tyree Jackson, whose 6-foot-7,...