Penn State’s weekend brought a little bit of everything: a comfortable football win, a pair of injury scares that didn’t sound too alarming, a breakout showing from a running back who had been out the week before, and a volleyball team that pushed a ranked opponent without quite finishing the job.
The football side started with No. 13 Penn State rolling past Buffalo, 55-13, on Saturday. The Nittany Lions didn’t exactly play a clean game, but they still walked out with another win and turned the page toward what comes next: Big Ten play.
After the game, head coach Matt Campbell gave updates on tight end Andrew Rappleyea and center Brock Riker, both of whom left the contest. Riker exited in the first quarter, while Rappleyea came out in the second.
Campbell wasn’t overly concerned about either player’s status if Penn State had needed them back on the field. Their injuries have not been disclosed, but the fact that he sounded confident about their availability was a positive sign as conference play approaches.
Penn State also got a notable boost from Quinton Martin Jr., who was back in the mix after not playing the previous week. The running back made the most of his chance, finishing with 10 carries for 100 yards.
One touch stood out above the rest: a 61-yard burst on his second carry. It was the kind of explosive play that reminds you just how dangerous Penn State’s backfield can be when it’s rolling.
That also leaves Campbell and offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser with a good problem to manage. The talent is there, but the snap counts in that running back room won’t sort themselves out. Martin’s performance only sharpened the conversation.
Now the schedule changes. Penn State is 3-0 heading into its first Big Ten game of the 2026 season, with Wisconsin coming up on Saturday, Sept.
- After that, the stretch gets much tougher with USC, Michigan, and Washington waiting.
USC and Michigan are still in the AP Top 25 Poll at No. 12 and No. 18, while Washington is just outside the rankings after receiving the next-most votes.
Penn State still has some proving to do, and the Buffalo game gave Campbell something useful: film with flaws on it. That may not sound glamorous, but it matters. The non-conference slate is over, the record is spotless, and now the staff has a clearer picture of what needs cleaning up before the Big Ten grind begins.
Elsewhere in Penn State athletics, the women’s volleyball team had a tougher day but left with plenty to build on after a ranked match against Tennessee on Sunday.
Right-side hitter Kennedy Martin and middle blocker Ryla Jones both delivered season-high kill totals, with Martin posting 20 and Jones adding 10. Jones also led the Nittany Lions with eight blocks. Freshman Haley Burgdorf chipped in two aces, and those were the only aces Penn State had in the match.
The Nittany Lions dropped the first two sets, 25-19 and 25-23, before responding in the third with a 25-20 win. Tennessee kept controlling the scoreboard late, and when Penn State trailed 24-16 in the fourth, head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley went to her bench.
The reserves helped keep the set alive for a while, and Penn State fought off multiple match points before the Volunteers finally closed it out. It didn’t become a five-set comeback, but it was still a competitive showing from a team that has had trouble finishing strong.
In Other News...
Penn State Just Got Fresh Fuel For Its Scheduling Debate
Penn States home date with Buffalo in Week 3 still drew a massive crowd by most college football standards, but the official attendance of 103,817 was the smallest at Beaver Stadium since 2019, not counting the fan-less 2020 season. It arrived at a time when the Nittany Lions non-conference schedule is already under a microscope, with plenty of noise around whether the program should be pushing harder for more demanding early-season matchups.
Matt Campbell said he has not yet discussed scheduling with the athletic director, and that sort of ambiguity only adds to a conversation that is likely to keep coming back as the sport changes. With the playoff format now expanded, future scheduling decisions may be viewed through a different lens, and Penn State is right in the middle of the debate over whether strong gate numbers are enough when the conversation turns to resume-building games. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Has A Personal Reason To Mourn Ernie Accorsi
Penn State has another familiar NFL tie to reflect on with the death of Ernie Accorsi at 84, a longtime league executive whose influence stretched well beyond the front office. Before his work as general manager of the Giants, Colts and Browns made him one of footballs most respected builders, Accorsi had already left his mark in State College as a Penn State player, a connection that gives his passing a more personal weight for the program.
Accorsis football life was defined by the kind of moves that changed franchises, from helping bring Tom Coughlin to New York to helping set up the draft-day path to Eli Manning. The Giants later credited him with helping shape their 2007 Super Bowl run, and his place in multiple halls of fame reflects how widely he was admired across the sport, including by those who knew him long before his NFL fame. [Read more 🡒]
Chase Sowells Path To Penn State Says Plenty About Matt Campbell
Chase Sowells decision to head to Penn State says as much about Matt Campbell as it does about the wide receivers own priorities. According to Sowells father, the receiver passed on bigger money from other schools, including Florida, to play for Campbell, a detail that fits the larger picture around this move. Campbell has long carried a reputation for building real trust with his players, and Penn State looks to be benefiting from that pull.
The Nittany Lions have already seen plenty of Iowa State players follow Campbell to State College, a sign that the coachs influence travels well beyond one roster. For Penn State, that kind of loyalty matters because it can help make a transition feel less like a reset and more like a continuation of something already established. Sowells path adds another layer to that trend, even if the full impact of the move will take time to sort out. [Read more 🡒]