In today’s edition of Morelli OnLion, we’ll take a closer look at the Penn State running backs. We’ll also feature our first of 10 moments to remember and have another question for Penn State AD Tim Curley.
Let’s begin with the running back situation.
Breaking down the Lions: Running Back
Evan Royster kept Nittany Nation in suspense as he mulled his decision of whether or not to enter the NFL draft shortly after Penn State’s 19-17 win over LSU in the Capital One Bowl. Fans took a big sigh of relief when Royster announced that he would be coming back for his senior season. The decision, he says, wasn’t that hard.
“I felt like I needed to prove I could be more of a 20, 25 (carry) back,” Royster said. “I also wanted to come back for my team. They’ve given me so much, and it’s time for me to give back.”
Heading into the 2010 campaign, Royster has to be considered one of the top backs in the Big Ten, alongside Wisconsin’s John Clay. Royster is coming off a season in which he was named first-team all-Big Ten. He racked up 1,169 yards and six touchdowns on 205 totes. He also caught 16 passes for 187 yards and two scores. He enters the 2010 campaign with a legitimate shot at eclipsing Curt Warner’s Penn State career rushing record of 3,398 yards. Royster needs just 481 more yards tacked on to his 2,918 career rushing yards.
“I’ve just been blessed with some good offensive line. I came in to the perfect situation to be able to do that,” Royster said. “It’s really been a blessing. I’ll be excited about (the record) when the time comes, if it comes.”
Behind Royster, look for Stephfon Green to get his share of carries this season. He had a strong performance in the Capital One Bowl and is 100 percent after suffering nagging ankle injuries the past two seasons.
After Royster and Green, the back-up battle gets muddy. Beachum sustained an ACL injury in the game against Indiana last season. If Beachum isn’t 100 percent come fall, look for redshirt freshman Curtis Dukes and true freshman Silas Redd to compete for the back-up roles. Silas Redd looked solid in the Blue-White Game, carrying the ball four times for 16 yards. He may be tough to keep out of the lineup.
“He’s got great speed, cuts really well,” says senior lineman Stefen Wisniewski. “He’s a pretty strong kid, especially for being a freshman.”
Moment to Remember No. 10: Nebraska Joins the Big Ten
After months of speculation, the Big Ten added a 12th team on June 11. The Cornhuskers joined the conference as the Nebraska regents voted to sever their 100-year relationship with the Big 12. Nebraska became the first school to enter the conference since Penn State was granted entry in June, 1990. The change goes into effect on July 1, 2011. Nebraska athletic director Tom Osborne said the move to the Big Ten was long overdue. “This is a tribute to our athletic program, our academic programs and our fans,” said Osborne. “This is the right move at the right time. This is a rare opportunity that may not have been an option for us in the future.”
Questions with Curley: Part IV
Today, we ask Penn State athletic director Tim Curley about the first year of wrestling coach Cael Sanderson.
GD: What were your impressions of Cael Sanderson’s first year as the head coach of the wrestling team?
TC: Well, I think the transition with our wrestling program went extremely well, and Cael and his staff just did a magnificent job with the transition. We had a wonderful year by my expectations. I know Cael wasn’t very pleased with a ninth place finish, but I think the future of that program is extremely bright. We’ve got a lot of redshirt student athletes that will be competing this coming year. We’ve got a great recruiting class coming in, and I just like the way he has gone about leading the program, the values that he brings to the program. I think he’s a great fit with the university. I love his coaching staff. They are just a great group, and I think we’re going to have some really fun days ahead of us with Penn State wrestling.
Chris Morelli is an award-winning writer/editor who lives in Centre County and covers Penn State athletics. He is also a regular on “Sports Central,” which airs on ESPN Radio in Altoona and State College. E-mail him at morellionlion@gmail.com.
