Evan Royster

Infobox NCAA Athlete
color = LightSteelBlue
fontcolor = Black
name = Evan Royster

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caption = Royster taking a handoff from Daryll Clark
college = Penn State
conference = Big Ten
sport = Football
jersey = 22
position = Runningback
class = Junior
major =
minor =
nickname =
career_start = 2007
height_ft = 6
height_in = 1
weight_lb = 212
nationality = USA
birth_date = birth date and age|1987|11|26
birth_place = Fairfax, Virginia
death_date =
death_place =
highschool = Westfield High School,
Chantilly, Virginia
former_school=
career_highlights =
awards =
honors =
records =
championships =
championship_list =
bowl_games =
bowl_list =
tournaments =
tournament_list =

Evan Royster (born November 26, 1987) is an American football running back, currently playing college football for Penn State.cite web | url = http://gopsusports.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/royster_evan00.html | title = 22 Evan Royster | accessdate = 2008-08-30 | publisher = Pennsylvania State University] Royster takes over the starter's position from the departed Rodney Kinlaw. Since he redshirted his freshman season, Royster is an academic junior with sophomore eligibility.

2006 season

Evan Royster was redshirted during his freshmen year at Penn State. Royster, recruited out of Virginia, chose Penn State over other NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly known as Division I-A) programs across the country like the Virginia Tech Hokies, the Nebraska Cornhuskers, the Florida Gators and the Maryland Terrapins.cite web | url = http://footballrecruiting.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?Sport=1&pr_key=26872 | title = Evan Royster | accessdate = 2008-09-02 | publisher = Rivals.com]

2007 season

Royster made his college football debut on September 1, 2007 against the FIU Golden Panthers. He played a significant role in the Penn State offense for the 2007 season. He was the second leading rusher behind, Rodney Kinlaw, rushing for 513 yards on 82 carries for a 5.3 yards per carry average. He scored the game-winning touchdown in the third quarter of the 2007 Alamo Bowl against the Texas A&M Aggies.

2008 season

Royster made his season debut against the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers on August 30, 2008 at Beaver Stadium. Royster and the offense helped guide the Nittany Lions to a 66-10 defeat of Division I FCS Chanticleers, giving Joe Paterno his 373rd career victory, tying him with Bobby Bowden of Florida State as the all-time leader in Division I victories.cite web | url = http://www.sungazette.com/page/content.detail/id/58384.html?is
] Royster saw limited action in the rout. He had 64 yards on 8 carries for a career high 3 touchdowns.cite web | url = http://gopsusports.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/stats/2008-2009/psuccu.html | title = Coastal Carolina vs Penn State (Aug 30, 2008) | accessdate = 2008-09-02 | publisher = Pennsylvania State University] Royster was pulled from the game following his third touchdown at the beginning of the third quarter when Coach Paterno sat all his starters in favor of the backups. On September 6, 2008, against the Oregon State Beavers, Royster put up 141 yards on 17 carries. He added 3 touchdowns in the 45-14 blowout win before being taken out of the game. He was named the Big 10 Co-offensive player of the week.cite web|url=http://bigten.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/090808aaa.html|title=Big Ten Honors Three Offensive Players of the Week in Football For First Time Since 1997|publisher=Big Ten Conference|date=2008-09-08|accessdate=2008-09-08] Royster had his second straight 100-yard game against the Syracuse Orange on September 13, 2008. He gained 101 yards on 13 carries in the 55-13 victory. In Penn State's 45-3 rout of Temple, Royster rushed 9 times for 73 yards and tacked on a touchdown. Royster picked up 139 yards on 19 carries in Penn State's 38-24 win over Illinois. In the second Big Ten matchup of the 2008 season, Royster powered Penn State past Purdue with 141 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. He also added 53 receiving yards on four catches.

Royster's fans have nicknamed themselves the "Blue Royster Cult," a play on the rock band Blue Öyster Cult.cite web | url = http://www.readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=105769 | title = Penn State's Royster develops a Cult following | first = Rich | last = Scarcella | date = 2008-09-13 | accessdate = 2008-09-15 | publisher = "Reading Eagle"]

Lacrosse

While at Westfield High School in Chantilly, Virginia, Royster was one of the most coveted "lacrosse" prospects in the country.cite web | url = http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/10/sports/ncaafootball/10psu.html?_r=1&ref=sports&oref=slogin | title = Laying Down Lacrosse Stick and Picking Up Penn State | publisher = "The New York Times" | last = Viera | first = Mark | date = 2008-10-09 | accessdate = 2008-10-10] He scored 33 goals as a senior and played in the prestigious North-South All-American Lacrosse all-star game. He was heavily recruited by traditional lacrosse powerhouses such as the Virginia and the Johns Hopkins.

References