Royster bounces back from scare

Jeff Rice

UNIVERSITY PARK — Penn State has had to juggle its tailback rotation in recent weeks due to Stephfon Green’s ankle injury.

CDT/Nabil K. Mark

Evan Royster is tackled by Thaddeus Gibson. Penn State lost to Ohio State 24-7 November 7, 2009. CDT/Nabil K. Mark

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Minutes before Saturday’s game against Ohio State, an injury threatened to send that juggling into high gear.

Starting tailback Evan Royster sustained a minor injury to his right knee trying to avoid a collision with two teammates during warm-ups and had to be helped off the field and into the locker room.

But as Penn State’s offensive coaches huddled anxiously, Royster trotted back out to join his teammates in pregame stretches.

“I just buckled it a little bit,” Royster said. “It was a little scary, but nothing serious.”

Royster started the Nittany Lions’ 24-7 loss to the Buckeyes and finished with 36 yards on 13 carries. It was hard to tell if he was at full speed — the Buckeyes closed down most of his running lanes — but he downplayed the injury after the game.

“It was sore,” he said. “But I don’t think it had any effect.”

Green, who had missed the past two games with a right ankle injury, carried the ball twice for six yards. Brandon Beachum added a three-yard carry for the Nittany Lions, who mustered 2.5 yards per carry against an Ohio State defense that had allowed just 2.7 yards per attempt coming into the game.

“They gave us a lot of problems in both the running and passing game,” Royster said. “They played well as a whole unit. A lot of the plays came from twisting and stuff like that, and they’re setting each other up. It’s the whole front seven.”

Changing of the guard

Penn State left guard Johnnie Troutman left in the second quarter with what team officials said was a strain to his left calf and was replaced by Matt Stankiewitch, who started the first two games of the season. Troutman returned in the third quarter but had to limp off during Penn State’s initial series of the half.

Stankiewitch, a redshirt freshman, hadn’t seen significant action in a Big Ten game this season. Like Troutman, he struggled against Ohio State’s terrific defensive line.

“It’s not easy when you’re coming in in the middle of the game like that,” left tackle Dennis Landolt said. “But I think he did pretty well.”

Lengthy resumes

Saturday’s game was the first regular-season game involving two coaches with more than 600 career coaching victories. Penn State’s Joe Paterno had 391 of those wins and Ohio State’s Jim Tressel picked up his 226th career victory. The 2006 Orange Bowl, which pitted Paterno against Florida State’s Bobby Bowden, was the only other such game.

Wacky bounce

Penn State fans and many of the Nittany Lions begged for a safety after Jeremy Boone’s second- quarter punt bounced off a Buckeye and into the end zone, where Ohio State recovered it. But the inadvertent touch was considered a “muff” by the officials, and by rule, muffed punts downed in the end zone are ruled touchbacks.

Miscellaneous

Penn State, which came into Saturday averaging 30.7 points per game, was held to seven points at home for the first time since a 14-7 loss to Northwestern in 2004. … Daryll Clark’s fourth-quarter interception was his first in four games. … All five road teams won in the Big Ten’s five intraconference games this week. … Four F-16 jets flew over the stadium during the national anthem. … Former Nittany Lions spotted on the sideline included Aaron Maybin, LaVar Arrington, Chafie Fields and Ki-Jana Carter.