page_title: Evan Royster
section_title: College career
hierarchical_section_title: Evan Royster / College career
caption_attribution_description: English: Daryll Clark (17) hands off the ball to Evan Royster (22). Later in this play, Royster would push through the defense on his way to the End Zone. Penn State took on Florida International University at Beaver Stadium in University Park, PA on Saturday September 1, 2007. The final score was 59-0 with Penn State the victor.
context_page_description: Evan Mathias Royster is a former American football running back. He was drafted in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins. He played college football at Penn State University, where he was a three-year starter and an all-time leading rusher.
context_section_description: Royster 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.
  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.
  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. Royster saw limited action in the rout. He had 64 yards on 8 carries for a career-high 3 touchdowns. 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 Ten Co-Offensive player of the week.
  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 the Temple Owls, 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 added 60 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries in Penn State's 48-7 thrashing of the Wisconsin Badgers on October 11. His contributions led to Penn State being ranked number 3 in the country in the October 13 AP poll.
  Against the Michigan Wolverines (who had beaten Penn State 9 straight times leading into the October 17 tilt), Royster set a career rushing high. Royster ran for 174 yards on 18 carries, with a 44-yard TD run in the first quarter. He also added 3 catches for 13 yards in the 46-17 homecoming victory.
  On October 25, 2008, Royster rushed 19 times for 77 yards in Penn State's game against Ohio State. He tacked on 20 receiving yards on 3 catches in the Nittany Lions' 13-6 triumph. The win against the then 9th-ranked Buckeyes was Penn State's first victory at The Horseshoe since 1978.
  Leading the then 3rd-ranked Nittany Lions against the Iowa Hawkeyes, Royster set a career-high with 26 carries. He managed 90 yards and a touchdown in the shocking 24-23 upset loss to the Hawkeyes in Iowa City.
  On November 15, 2008, the Nittany Lions squared off against the Hoosiers of Indiana University. Royster rushed for 63 yards on 12 carries in chilly, rainy atmosphere of Beaver Stadium. Bouncing off three tacklers, he added his 11th rushing touchdown of the year on a 19-yard run in the third quarter. After leading 10-7 at the half, Penn State pulled away for a 34-7 victory.
  Royster got off to a slow start, getting just 102 yards on 26 carries vs. Akron and Syracuse, but rebounded vs. Temple, rushing 19 times for 134 yards. The next week vs. Iowa Royster got just 69 yards on 17 carries, but vs. Illinois he got 105 yards on 17 carries, with a long of 20 and a touchdown. Against Eastern Illinois, he got 94 yards on just eight carries, for an 11.8 yards per carry average. His next three games versus Minnesota, Michigan, and Northwestern, he got over 100 yards in each of those games, averaging over 6 yards per carry overall in those 3 games.  Following Penn State's victory at the 2010 Capital One Bowl,  Royster announced that he would forgo the 2010 NFL Draft and play his senior year at Pe
caption: Royster getting the ball handed off to him from Daryll Clark.
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