At halftime Saturday, Penn State's only Heisman Trophy winner John Cappelletti was back on the field in Happy Valley.
But someone else was wearing his familiar No. 22.
Cappelletti, who was there to be honored with the 1973 team, leaned against the Pennsylvania limestone that lines the tunnel in the south end zone and said the "kid" in his jersey, Evan Royster, has a chance to end Penn State's 35-year Heisman drought.
"The kid out there today, No. 22, certainly could be a legitimate candidate if he continues to do what he's been doing," Cappelletti said. "I think the kid's the whole package. It's just a matter of doing it for a while now, getting some notice."
Royster added another stellar game to his résumé Saturday, rushing for 144 yards and three touchdowns in Penn State's 45-14 win over Oregon State. Royster slashed up the middle on his first score then scored his second -- a 28-yard run -- when he outran defenders to the left side. He followed blockers four yards over the goal line for his third score.
"Our offensive line is doing a great job," Royster said. "We've got a couple of other good backs that can come in and give me some relief and keep our offense going."
When Royster wasn't burning Beaver defenders, senior quarterback Daryll Clark was -- with his arm and his feet.
Clark finished 14 of 23 for 215 yards and two touchdowns, with another score on the ground.
Senior wideout Jordan Norwood set career highs with eight catches and 114 yards and said the offense had no trouble moving the ball against Oregon State.
"It's exciting, to say the least, really," Norwood said. "We feel like we can score at will and move the ball whichever way we want to. It's very exciting. We're excited for the rest of the season."
The Beavers, on the other hand, couldn't get anything going offensively all day.
Oregon State's first five possessions yielded four punts and a turnover on downs. By that time, the Lions had already established a 28-0 lead behind Royster's running.
"They got us in situations where we had to convert and we didn't convert," Oregon State coach Mike Riley said after the game. "We missed some opportunities. They mixed up the coverage. They have a good rush. The pressure is always applied with Penn State. That's just their M.O. They did a good job with it tonight."
Oregon State quarterback Lyle Moevao couldn't move his offense down the field. The junior was sacked twice and threw two late interceptions. Penn State linebacker Josh Hull picked off a Moevao pass in the third quarter, and safety Mark Rubin made a diving interception in the fourth.
Moevao said even though Penn State didn't have two of its starters on the defensive line -- Maurice Evans and Abe Koroma were suspended for the game -- pressure was still heavy all day.
"They have great athletes after all," Moevao said. "They're a great team with a great defense. Really solid on defense. I feel like we could've hung with their defense, but we just didn't make the plays that we needed."
But after the game, much of the focus was on Royster, who became the first player in the Joe Paterno era to score six rushing touchdowns in the first two games.
Cappelletti said Royster reminds him of himself when he played, not just because of the number or the position either. Cappelletti said Royster reads plays well, reacts quickly and has good size.
There is one difference between the two, though.
"He probably has more speed than I ever had, but that's the nature of the game today," Cappelletti said.
In the media room after the game, a freshly showered Royster wouldn't talk about the Heisman Trophy long.
"Yeah, it's definitely a little early for that," Royster said. "It's definitely something that you hope for. You grow up seeing people win the Heisman from year to year. It's just a dream that everybody has as a kid."
