Penn State football's offense looked much more cohesive in Week 6 against USC than it did to start Big Ten play against Wisconsin and Northwestern previously, but that doesn't mean the Nittany Lions (3-3, 0-3 Big Ten) have solved all of their problems on that side of the ball.
Against the Trojans, quarterback Rocco Becht was 21-of-32 for 289 yards and one touchdowns. His primary target was tight end Andrew Rappleyea, who had seven catches for 63 yards and one score. Receivers Chase Sowell and Brett Eskildsen each had four receptions for 95 and 70 yards, respectively. Tight end Gabe Burkle was the only other pass catcher who had more than one reception on the night.
One name is missing from this list: tight end Benjamin Brahmer.
The senior is one of the "big three" in that tight end room for Penn State alongside Rappleyea and Burkle. The only games so far in 2026 that he hasn't had more than one catch, aside from Saturday's White Out, was in the non-conference slate against Marshall and Buffalo. At the most, he's had five receptions (Temple in Week 2 and Northwestern in Week 5) in a game this season.
Brahmer is a critical part of this Nittany Lion offense, especially now that Big Ten play is well underway. The offense lacked in the first two contests, but the tight end was a consistent target of Becht's. Against the Badgers, he had four catches for 36 yards; and against the Wildcats, he caught five passes for 45 yards. He averaged nine yards per pass in both games.
Saturday vs. USC was a different story. Brahmer had just one single pass the whole game, which came in the fourth quarter and only amassed to four yards.
Tight end Benjamin Brahmer's invisibility in Week 6 needs to be a one-time thing
"On my sheet, we called all the plays that I have starred to get him the ball, and for whatever reason, [USC] took it away," offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser said on Tuesday.
"I certainly have a checklist on my call sheet of, these are the best ways to get Ben the ball. It doesn't guarantee anything, but for him to have one catch isn't right in my mind," he added.
Taylor Mouser on Benjamin Brahmer's quiet outing against USC:
— Andrew Mercer (@amerc0115) October 13, 2026
"I certainly have a checklist on my call sheet of, these are the best ways to get Ben the ball. It doesn't guarantee anything, but for him to have one catch isn't right in my mind."
📷 Lucas Yendrzeiwski / Collegian pic.twitter.com/oPnYCO1QGH
Becht did a better job getting more pass catchers involved in Week 6, but there was confusion after the game as to why Brahmer's stat line was one catch for four yards. Big Ten defenses, like the Trojans', will limit top targets, but that doesn't mean Brahmer should be invisible all game.
In fact, throughout the game, NBC play-by-play announcer Noah Eagle and color analyst Todd Blackledge kept wondering why Brahmer wasn't being targeted. They said on the broadcast that it was necessary to get him rolling, mentioning this more than once as the tight end continued on without a single reception until the fourth quarter.
Especially without wide receiver Koby Howard in the mix, Becht needs to get the ball into Brahmer's hands. He's one of the best players on this offense and a ton of preparation for the 2026 season involved centering the offense around him and the tight ends in general.
Now, Brahmer's lack of production allowed others to get open and step up, like Rappleyea and Burkle, but needs to have a much bigger impact if Penn State wants to seriously compete in the Big Ten for the remainder of the season.
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