Penn State's Reason For Hope #3 - Evan Royster
by BSD on Aug 20, 2009 8:00 AM EDT
in Football
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Let's say for a moment the wide receivers don't come together. Let's say Daryll Clark has nothing to work with in the passing game. And let's say the offensive line is adequate, though not great. Can the offense be successful? Can they still move the ball and score enough points to cover the defense and win some ball games?
If history is an indicator, all Joe Paterno needs is a good running back and he can win a bunch of football games. This year he has Evan Royster, and Paterno has proven he can win with a whole lot less.
Evan Royster didn't get nearly the publicity he deserved last year. In the preseason all we read about was Beanie Wells, and P.J. Hill, and Javon Ringer. Even Tyrell Sutton was getting more preseason love, and once the season started Shonn Greene was the toast of the conference. But the fact is that on a per carry basis Evan Royster outperformed all of them.
|
Name |
Carries |
Yards |
Yards Per Carry |
|
Evan Royster |
191 |
1236 |
6.47 |
|
Shonne Greene |
307 |
1850 |
6.03 |
|
Beanie Wells |
207 |
1197 |
5.78 |
|
P.J. Hill |
234 |
1161 |
5.14 |
|
Javon Ringer |
390 |
1637 |
4.30 |
Usually when you scan up and down the conference before the season looking for potential Heisman candidates you look for the top returning passer and the top returning rusher. So conventional wisdom would say that Daryll Clark and Evan Royster should be on the short list. But instead all we hear about is the Crybaby and, well, nobody else. No respect for Royster.
The major knock on him has been his durability. Despite playing in all 13 games, Royster had fewer carries than all the guys on the list above. His entire career has been riddled with ankle sprains, shoulder stingers, deep thigh bruises, and twisted knees.
How far Penn State goes will depend a lot on the legs of Evan Royster. If the passing game sputters, he will have to pick up the load and carry the ball 20-25 times per game.
(By the way, did I mention Royster used to play lacrosse?)
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Ringer
I still chuckle whenever I see his ypc figure from last year. He was getting thoroughly stroked leading up to our game, so I started poking around his stats… let’s just say I wasn’t worried about an offense that depends on one guy for half to two-thirds of its total plays.
"I thought the kid we were using had the potential to be a good quarterback, and I blew that one." - Joseph V. Paterno
Seriously
I had to triple check the number of carries that he had last year, that is absurd. I feel great about Royster (the lady friend got me his jersey for Christmas) and could see him rushing over 2,000 yards this season. I doubt he will get any Heisman looks, but at this point that is secondary. The guy is sick and it is a funny thing, I never knew he played lacrosse, never heard about that before.
by Bob Sacamano on Aug 20, 2009 8:34 AM EDT up reply actions
The lady friend
Sounds hot.
"For me the game wasn’t grounded in reality. It was about the uniform you put on that turned you into a warrior. It was about the mythology of the battle, the victory, the defeat, the struggle." - Mike Reid, PSU '69
I'm guessing
She’s a fencer.
"For me the game wasn’t grounded in reality. It was about the uniform you put on that turned you into a warrior. It was about the mythology of the battle, the victory, the defeat, the struggle." - Mike Reid, PSU '69
I don't want to sound negative but
How much of last years running success had to do with having the top offensive line? I know Royster is a great running back and everything but if you watched the games last year he wasn’t getting hit in the backfield. It was 3 or 4 yards down the field before he was getting hit. That being said I can see where He will play a big part in this years season. We need him to do good and not get hurt.
I have a blind man crush
on Royster so maybe I’m biased here. It’s true he wasn’t getting hit till 3-4 yards on most carries, but he always seemed to be turning 3-4 yard gains into 5-6 yard gains. He always had little extra spin and a dive, or dragged someone for a couple extra. The TD runs vs Michigan & Indiana come to mind. He doesn’t stop moving. IMO, besides Bowman he’s the most talented player on the team. I see him having a big year and unfortunately going pro.
I would argue that he made our line look better than they played at times. There were many 3rd and short plays that required the perfect timing, angle, and footwork to get the 1st down, and time and time again he would get it. Against USC, when Royster was in, he was getting 4-5 yards per carry, we were converting on 3rd and short. Our line looked great. As soon as he went out our run game went with him, and suddenly we couldn’t convert 3rd and short.
The thing with Royster is, it’s like he’s seeing the field from a blimp, and his balance is uncanny. We already take for granted some of the little things he does that translates to 3-4 yards after contact. He doesn’t power through defenders, instead he takes angles that won’t allow them to get a direct a clean shot on him.
In my opinion, Royster will make our line look better then they are this year.
"We hugged as grown men do. It was a great moment. Then, it was business as usual." -- LJ Sr.
by millzners on Aug 20, 2009 9:56 AM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
I would argue that he made our line look better than they played at times.
+1 for that. Millz on point again.
And it’s his Vision that sets him apart, and allows for those extra yards. I thought that went hand in hand with the lacrosse bit.
"For me the game wasn’t grounded in reality. It was about the uniform you put on that turned you into a warrior. It was about the mythology of the battle, the victory, the defeat, the struggle." - Mike Reid, PSU '69
Brent Musburger did not know that Evan Royster played lacrosse. Brent Musburger looks forward to using this factoid as a trivia question.
(That’s all I’ve got. My Royster preview consists of “Yeah, he’s pretty good.”)
DO YOU HAVE PRIDE, DANNY?
by ReadingRambler on Aug 20, 2009 9:25 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Your preview may be short,
but at least it’s highly technical.
+1 for the inside football lingo.
'People are about as happy as they decide they want to be'
by Pete the Streak on Aug 20, 2009 7:05 PM EDT up reply actions
I noticed that too
I think that might of been a clip of all of Royster’s touches because they also included clips of him getting blown up right at or even behind the LOS.
"I'm driven by greatness" - Derrick Williams
I know right?
Believe it or not that’s the best highlight reel of Royster I could find.
Mike
Black Shoe Diaries
I was moderately bored and watched the Jordan Norwood vs Michigan
that pops up when the Royster video completes. It is set up the same way and also includes every play involving him. Several of these are balls thrown 10 yards over his head, etc.
10 yards over
Canolipants’ head?
"For me the game wasn’t grounded in reality. It was about the uniform you put on that turned you into a warrior. It was about the mythology of the battle, the victory, the defeat, the struggle." - Mike Reid, PSU '69
I think Royster's production is going to take a hit this year
He’s still going to be a top notch back and I think his carries will increase but ypc will drop. Something around 250 carries for 5 yards a pop. Still puts him at 1250 yards though. I just don’t see the YPC staying that high with a green O-Line and increased use due to green receivers. Still reliable though.
"I'm driven by greatness" - Derrick Williams
Look who's sitting next to each other in this photo.....
"We are not normal. We are legends. We are Penn State." - Deon Butler
by Stately NOVA Lion on Aug 20, 2009 10:15 AM EDT reply actions
Fascinating
Is that our James McDonald, also?
Besides Williams, Royster and Bowman, tho, the only other name I recognize is Ike Whitaker.
"For me the game wasn’t grounded in reality. It was about the uniform you put on that turned you into a warrior. It was about the mythology of the battle, the victory, the defeat, the struggle." - Mike Reid, PSU '69
Not a soul on there from my Alma Mater
Not a shocker.
I think we will see Royster pull a Tony Hunt.
Remember how Hunt seemed to always make the play to get the first down when it seemed as if his line couldn’t get the job done? I really think Royster will have to do that to an extent, but with DC17 in the backfield with him it might take some pressure off because defenses will have to slow down just enough to make sure he doesn’t keep it. That small crease should open up some running lanes.
Another point that hasn’t been discussed in depth here is the impact Royster could have on the passing game. I am sure if the receivers struggle early we will see an insurgence of play action passes to help open up some room. Having a good backfield helps sell those plays. That might be where he has his biggest impact on the field.
Success without honor is like an unseasoned dish, it will fill you up but it won't taste good. - Joe V. Paterno
Royster or Green?
Who is a better receiver?
Aside from the fumble(s), Green had more screens set up for him proportionally than Royster did. I’ve seen a few bits about putting Royster in the slot if we struggle passing the ball, but wouldnt Green work equally well?
On that note… are we thinking that the RB will start in the backfield then motion to the slot (like a Brian Westbrook type), or simply line up out wide?
i wonder the same thing
maybe we’re prototyping the formation. If you’re going to add a new wrinkle such as sticking a RB in the slot, you’re going to prototype that play with your 1st string RB, because he’s got more experience, and in this case better hands. That way you can see if it will fundamentally work or not. Then, if it does, I’m sure we’ll see Green run it as well.
If you ask me, when and if that formation/play works, I think we’ll see a lot of creativity with our formations that get Royster and Green both a lot of work switching back and forth between the slot and the backfield. I would bet Green works out better in the slot since he’s so dangerous in space.
"We hugged as grown men do. It was a great moment. Then, it was business as usual." -- LJ Sr.
I think we will see rbs in the slot and being added into the box late via motion.
Alot of offenses are doing this now to create last second adjustments to the defense. This in turn leads to big gains off of the triple option. Of course that only works if you throw to the running back in the slot pretty regular. One of the popular variations of the spread offense relies on the bubble pass which is a glorified sweep, why not throw that to your backs?
Success without honor is like an unseasoned dish, it will fill you up but it won't taste good. - Joe V. Paterno
by carolinaeasy on Aug 20, 2009 12:27 PM EDT up reply actions
production
To those who say Royster’s production was largely attributable to his offensive line and may drop this year, maybe you don’t recall his productivity and elusiveness while backing up Tony Hunt with a lesser offensive line. two years ago. I personally thought he MAY have also been a better runner than Tony Hunt at the time.
He is now a year stronger, more experienced, smarter, and more elusive than last season. And did you know his lacrosse skills help him see the field better than most? Only Zug looking down from the heavens can see more than him
I predict a 6.0-6.5 ypc and 1500-1700 total yards.
When we were recruiting Terrell Pryor we always hoped he'd help us take down Ohio State... and he did!
2007
I think even as a RS Freshman Royster was clearly the best back on the team, and had he been played more we’d have had ourselves quite a nice surprise. If nothing else he would have saved us a couple fumbles. Lord knows between Scott and Kinlaw we almost led the nation in fumbles (16 fumbles I think it was, 2nd worse in the nation).
"We hugged as grown men do. It was a great moment. Then, it was business as usual." -- LJ Sr.
What about the downfield blocks?
The run-blocking of the O-line is rightly the chief concern here, but I’ll also be intrigued to see how the new WRs block.
Nobody would confuse one of the Williams/Norwood/Butler triumvirate with Hines Ward, but those guys got in there and mixed it up. In that clip there are a couple long runs with WRs getting nice blocks downfield, and I distinctly remember two long TDs against Oregon State where Williams put a fine lick on the safety (#47, I think … ooh he had a brutal day, got beat by Shuler for that score, too) to give Royster clear sailing.
Don’t get me wrong: out of the spread and with Clark’s running threat, Royster will produce no matter what, but just as Royster was great at turning 3 yards into 5, sometimes those wideouts turned 15 yards into 35.
Right
Which is why I like Brett Brackett in the slot. RUTS called him a fast tight end or something. He’s a good blocker that is going to give Royster some nice lanes by clearing out the outside linebacker.
Mike
Black Shoe Diaries
check the block
DWill throws on play one. hope ChazP is willing and able to do the same.
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