It had been exactly 52 weeks since tight end Andrew Rappleyea had last played in a Penn State football game.
Rappleyea suffered a season-ending knee injury during practice between the 2024 opener at West Virginia and the second game against Bowling Green.
That’s why his return in the Nittany Lions’ 46-11 romp past Nevada last Saturday meant so much to him.
“Being able to go back out there again and feeling the best I’ve felt in my career, it just felt amazing,” Rappleyea said Tuesday. “It just brought me life again. Putting somebody on the ground, making a play here and there, it feels good, man. It feels good.”
Rappleyea, a third-year sophomore, was one of four players who returned to game action against the Wolf Pack after missing most or all of last season with injuries.
Running back Cam Wallace, defensive tackle Alonzo Ford Jr. and linebacker Keon Wylie also contributed to the season-opening win.
Rappleyea made the first catch of his career, a 26-yarder that helped set up a touchdown, and two other receptions. Wallace carried five times for 19 yards and hurdled a defender on a 12-yard catch.
Ford made the first start of his career and helped hold Nevada’s first team to a field goal. Wylie had three tackles and a pass breakup.
“It was just really cool to see those guys come out and play really well,” Penn State coach James Franklin said.
A former four-star prospect, Rappleyea started last year at West Virginia with Tyler Warren, who went to become an All-American and a first-round draft pick. He was slated to be a regular until the first injury of his athletic career sidelined him.
“This was the first bit of adversity thrown at me in my life,” he said. “I was coping with that and realizing I had to take it the right way. You can sulk about it. You can say, ‘Oh, no, why me?’
“Or you can just get up and go through the process you have to go through and that many of the greatest athletes and football players have had to go through. I was trying to keep a positive mindset.”
Rappleyea spent a lot of time during his rehabilitation and recovery with Wallace, his freshman roommate who sustained injuries to both legs against Kent State in the third game and missed the rest of last season.
“I went to visit Cam in damn near a nursing home for about a month of his recovery,” Rappleyea said. “Seeing one of my best friends have to struggle like that was tough. I knew with his tough mentality he was going to come back. He was going to be better.
“I was emotional watching him clear somebody in the game the other day after going through what he went through a year ago. Being out there with him last weekend was really special. I wouldn’t have wanted to go through the crap I had to go through with anybody else.”
Wallace was not available for interviews. He earned the third-team job behind running backs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen last year and impressed the coaches before his injury.
“It sure was nice to see Cam,” Franklin said. “The first time he touches the ball he makes a big-time play (the hurdle on his lone catch). I’m very proud of him. There is a physical, mental and emotional aspect coming from that type of injury, so it was pretty cool.”
Ford transferred from Old Dominion after the 2022 season, missed the following season with an injury and played in the first 11 games last year. He suffered a season-ending leg injury in a 26-25 win at Minnesota.
“It felt amazing to finally get back out there on the field, back in Beaver Stadium,” Ford said. “I felt like I played pretty well. Of course, there are always things to clean up and work on. Just getting back into a game felt really good.”
Wylie is a graduate of Imhotep Charter and a former three-star recruit. He played in every game two years ago, produced and was on the verge of a breakthrough on the depth chart before his injury.
“Keon is one of the better athletes we have,” Franklin said. “He’s super strong, explosive and fast. I just want him to let it rip. At times he’s trying to be right rather than just going and playing. He has all the ability in the world.
“I think we’re going to have that moment where it all clicks and everything comes together for him. We need that.”
Watching Warren, Khalil Dinkins and Luke Reynolds at tight end last season was difficult at times for Rappleyea, but also boosted his confidence.
“I’m more calm and composed,” he said. “Nevada was an exciting game to come out and play again, but everything felt normal. Just seeing how Tyler, Dink and Luke went about their business when I was out made me know I was going to come back and do this.”