A lot went right for Penn State in its 55-13 Week 3 win over Buffalo on Saturday, but the victory didn’t come without incident. The Nittany Lions lost two key offensive starters in the first half: starting center Brock Riker and tight end Andrew Rappleyea.
Riker left the field early in the first quarter, replaced by Vaea Ikakoula, and Rappleyea exited in the second quarter after hauling in his third catch of the day. Neither returned, but in his postgame press conference, head coach Matt Campbell suggested that both could have if he felt they needed to.
Matt Campbell says center Brock Riker and tight end Andrew Rappleyea are "dinged up" but doesn't sound like anything serious moving forward.
— Tyler Donohue (@TDsTake) September 19, 2026
He suggests they both could've played more today if necessary.
Campbell didn’t share much information on the specifics of their injuries, saying instead that both are “dinged up.” It wasn’t clear what ailed Riker, the young Texas State transfer, but it appeared that Rappleyea injured his right shoulder.
Penn State needs Andrew Rappleyea and Brock Riker healthy for Week 4
Penn State essentially had a preseason, playing Marshall, Temple, and Buffalo to start the year. In Week 4, the Nittany Lions will enter Big Ten play, hosting Wisconsin. Week 3 was essentially the final tune-up for this team, and despite being afforded the softest schedule in the conference, Campbell needs his starting center and No. 1 tight end healthy to avoid any hiccups as the team steps up in competition.
Penn State isn’t Iowa State East, as many have claimed, but there are still plenty of players making a step up in competition from the Big 12, or lower, like Riker. Many outside the program have questioned whether a roster comprised primarily of a team that went 8-4 in the Big 12 last season can be a real contender in the Big Ten. So far, it’s been impossible to disprove that theory, but Week 4 is the first opportunity.
Regardless of how much credence you lend to that Iowa State East theory, Penn State is not the most talented team in the Big Ten, and may not be all that much more talented than a middle-class Big Ten program like Wisconsin, which, according to The Athletic, spent nearly as much as Penn State on its roster this year.
So, the Nittany Lions need to be as close to 100% as possible, even at positions of relative strength. Ikakoula looked good at center against the Bulls, but Riker was Penn State’s highest-graded player in Week 1, according to Campbell.
At tight end, the Nittany Lions have Iowa State transfer Benjamin Brahmer, a red zone specialist and dynamic pass-catcher, and Gabe Burkle, the team’s best blocking tight end. However, Rappelyea is the best all-around player at the position, which allows Brahmer and Burkle to settle comfortably into their roles as relative specialists.
Without Rappleyea, Brahmer will be asked to block more, and Burkle will become a larger part of the passing game. Both are capable, but Rappleyea is a better blocker than Brahmer and a more explosive playmaker than Burkle.
It’s an early report from Campbell, but it’s probably the most positive one he could have shared. You’d have to imagine that if they could have returned on Saturday, both players should be good to go a week later.
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