Evan Royster's jog was quick and determined. Saturday's win against Iowa had ended moments ago, and the redshirt freshman had to catch up with his teammates, who were all making their way to Penn State's locker room.

Royster approached Beaver Stadium's south end zone and allowed himself to slow down. He looked around, seeing clusters of screaming and waving fans restrained behind metal railings that reached up into the student section and inside the tunnel below the stadium.

They were all waiting to bestow their approval on the young running back.

Several weeks of watching inopportune mistakes slow Penn State's running game had finally given way to a day of celebration for these fans, who had just seen a promising, mistake-free 86 yards on the ground from Royster and a career-high 168 yards from senior Rodney Kinlaw, complemented by two touchdowns.

The two running backs were forced into Saturday's spotlight when coaches decided to keep senior Austin Scott, the starter in the season's first four games, off the field. Team officials said Scott violated a team rule but would not comment further.

Royster had mostly watched from the sidelines while Kinlaw gradually shared more and more carries with Scott during the season's first five games. But Scott's absence Saturday created the opening the redshirt freshman needed.

"You never want to get something off of somebody else's mishap," Royster said. "It's not a good way to come by things, but it's a blessing in disguise."

Kinlaw started Saturday's game at running back but fumbled on the Nittany Lions' first drive.

It was time to give the ball to Royster, the team's coaches decided, and word spread quickly along Penn State's sideline that the redshirt freshman would make his earliest appearance in any game of his young career.

Deon Butler, Penn State's junior wide receiver, played against Royster when the two were students at neighboring high schools in Virginia. When Butler found out Royster was going in, he approached the redshirt freshman on the sideline.

"Be ready," Royster recalled Butler saying. "This is your chance that you've been waiting for."

Royster had carried the ball only once since leading the team in rushing yards in the season opener against Florida International. When he got onto the field and into the huddle in the first quarter Saturday, Royster was nervous.

He hadn't spent much time running with the first team in practice. Every so often, Royster would get a shot, but most of his time was spent either running with the second team or watching Scott and Kinlaw.

Royster keeps a calm demeanor in those practices, senior fullback Matt Hahn said. No one on the team outwardly sees the inner anxiety Royster has to get onto the field -- to prove that, even as a redshirt freshman, he can be a consistent contributor to the Lions' running game.

"He's a real smart kid," Hahn said. "He prepares -- even if he doesn't think he's gonna play a series, he prepares like he's gonna play every series."

Perhaps some anxiety crept out before his first carry, but Royster said it all disappeared when he heard the cheering Beaver Stadium crowd.

Before the first half had ended, Royster would pile up 58 yards on the ground and play an instrumental role in Penn State's first scoring drive.

"He does a lot of things to remind you of the Tony Hunts, the Rodney Kinlaws," center A.Q. Shipley said. "He was able to go out and prove that today."

But Royster's day ended in the third quarter. On his final carry, he suffered a thigh bruise. He remained on the sideline, watching Kinlaw seal the Lions' win with a touchdown in the game's closing minutes.

The injury felt like "a dagger in the thigh," Royster said. But as the third quarter turned into the fourth, the pain was replaced by a growing urge to get back onto the field. He told his coaches he was ready to go back in.

"I kept saying, 'Galen, can we get him back in the game?' " quarterbacks coach Jay Paterno said, referring to offensive coordinator Galen Hall.

In the game's closing minutes, with Penn State holding a 20-point lead, many of the Lions were content to sit on the sidelines. Royster remained standing, pacing the sidelines with his helmet on.

As he made his postgame jog to the locker room, Royster felt satisfied with his play. But the process of showing the coaches that he can be an impact player, Royster said, is ongoing.