Evan Royster is on pace to leave Penn State holding two noteworthy distinctions, one relating to the other.

Royster has a chance to not just set, but to blow away the Nittany Lions' career rushing record. The redshirt junior tailback has gained 1,749 yards his first two seasons and needs only 1,650 yards over the next two years to surpass Curt Warner's mark of 3,398.

The other distinction? Royster might end up owning one of the school's most prestigious records yet may go down as one of the most underrated players in program history.

Names like Warner, Ki-Jana Carter, John Cappelletti and Lydell Mitchell come to mind when thinking of great Penn State running backs, but the relatively unheralded Royster likely will finish above all of them in the record book.

Even Joe Paterno candidly admitted he didn't know how good of a running back he had in Royster.

"If you had asked me last year if Royster would be this good, I would say he doesn't have quite the stuff," Paterno said late last season. "But he's turned out to be a heck of a good tailback."

Royster won't be the only good tailback on the Lions' roster this season. He will have to share the spotlight - and the carries - with redshirt sophomore Stephfon Green, a speedster who had a solid freshman campaign in 2008. Redshirt junior Brent Carter and sophomore Brandon Beachum also figure to push for playing time.

It will be tough spreading the wealth and getting all the running backs enough carries to keep them happy, but that's not important to Paterno anyway.

"That doesn't worry me," the coach said.

There's no doubt who will be getting the most carries this season. Royster is the primary tailback and almost certainly will keep that title as long as he stays healthy.

"I think Royster is obviously a very, very fine athlete who can do a lot of things well," Paterno said. "He made a lot of big plays [last season], and his biggest problem is he's got to stay durable."

At this time last year, the hot name on everyone's lips was Green, an electrifying runner who zips through the 40-yard dash in the 4.2-second range. Royster was intrigued about Green just like everybody else, and when asked before the season which teammate he was most looking forward to seeing, he said, "I'm not going to lie. It's Stephfon."

Aside from Green, the quarterback battle between Daryll Clark and Pat Devlin also drew a lot of attention. Few people, it seemed, were talking about Royster and the impact he would have on the team.

That impact turned out to be greater than most expected.

Royster rushed for 1,236 yards, had five 100-yard games and averaged a lofty 6.5 yards per carry. He also scored 12 touchdowns and finished fourth on the team with 17 receptions.

Royster made it look easy, too, with his patient, calculating running style and terrific footwork, things not usually associated with a sophomore tailback.

"He's the smoothest runner that I have ever played against," Penn State safety Drew Astorino said. "He's so smooth, you think you can just go tackle him, and then he lowers his shoulder and he runs you over."

Defensive lineman Jared Odrick also used the word "smooth" to describe Royster and noted he "looks effortless in his running." Royster's strong points, Odrick added, are "in open field and making cuts downfield."

Royster patterned his style after two factors. He watched and tried to emulate his older brother, Brandon, who played at Stanford from 2000-03. He also grew up watching pro standouts like Emmitt Smith and said, "I always wanted to be just like them."

Royster's 2008 season ended on a sour note as he suffered a sprained left knee in the first quarter of the Rose Bowl against USC. He called not being able to play the rest of the game "real tough for me," but the injury turned out to be minor.

He said he didn't need much rehab work and was back taking part in all drills during spring practice.

Royster got a lot of experience, unexpectedly, his freshman season in 2007.

He was slated to be the third-stringer behind Austin Scott and Rodney Kinlaw, but Scott was dismissed from the team midway through the season after a sex scandal (all charges were eventually dropped). Kinlaw took over as the starter, while Royster was bumped up to second string and gained 532 yards with five touchdowns and averaged 6.3 yards per carry.

Green received all the hype entering last season, but Royster received the bulk of the carries (191 to 105). Still, Royster knows Green - and possibly others - likely will be a big part of the offense this season, and he has no problem sharing the load.

"It's not difficult because I think all of us complement each other," Royster said. "It's not really an individual thing. We're going out there as a team to win, and I think it gives the team more confidence that whoever is in can get the job done."

Royster answered those types of questions in his typically humble, soft-spoken, be-the-best-teammate kind of way. He always speaks highly of Green, saying things like, "obviously Stephfon is a great back" or "I think we learn from each other" or "the competition makes us better."

Don't let all that fool you, though. Royster knows he can get the job done and wouldn't mind a bit if he were called upon for 25-30 carries per game.

"I always want the ball," he said. "I want more and more carries."

Cory Giger can be reached at 949-7031 and cgsports12@aol.com.