In 1973, a struggling team hoped to end a decade of losing seasons and a ten-game losing streak to their bitter intrastate rival by picking up a new coach. The first thing the new coach did? He went out and got a top running back. All that running back did in his freshman season was fill up highlight reels, earn first-team All-American honors, and help his team to a top 20 ranking.
How much influence can one superstar running back have, you ask?
From there, recruits began to flock to the school. All-Americans and first-round draft picks began flowing from the school. They spent many weeks at number 1 in the polls and even won a national championship in 1976, the running back’s senior season.
The team—Pittsburgh Panthers. The running back—Tony Dorsett.
A young, superstar running back has been noticeably absent in Penn State’s recent history, but Silas Redd could fill that void.
Redd’s 5.7 yard per carry last season and 427 rushing yards in mostly limited action has Nittany Lion fans gushing at the possibilities. His highlight reel is surprisingly jaw-dropping, while his performance against Northwestern alone (11 carries for 131 yards) should have garnered more spotlight, if it wasn’t for some Cinderella-story quarterback leading his coach to a milestone victory. With Royster moving to the NFL and no one else having premiere back characteristics, Redd has the potential to be the young, superstar that Penn State has lacked.
Throughout the 90’s and early-00’s, Penn State seemed overwhelmed by an abundance. Various names would burst forth as 100-yard rushers, but rarely did one guy stand out head-and-shoulders above the rest, and if they did (Ki-Jana Carter, Curtis Enis, and Larry Johnson certainly come to mind), it wasn’t until their eligibility was nearly exhausted. Young backs rarely burst on to the scene at Penn State.
Austin Scott had the hype and the ideal depth chart in 2003, but his head wasn’t screwed on straight enough to make it out of the coach’s doghouse. Evan Royster made a splash in limited action in 2007 and played a crucial role in PSU’s 2008 Rose Bowl team. But Royster’s personality (not even captain as a rsSR) and running style (his best trait was falling forward for important extra yards) kept him from being a national sensation, despite being a three-year starter and the team’s all-time rushing yardage leader.
Royster singled out Redd last season as the guy who would break the very record that #22 just set. Redd seems to have the potential to make that happen. And more.
With Ohio State’s team in turmoil and Wisconsin replacing most of their defense, Penn State has a chance to be the top team in the Leaders Division, which means they could be in the discussion for a BCS bowl. A good running back on a team like that might not be a household name, but a great running back—and one that is sophomore, no less—could be a media darling. Redd has that potential—potential to be an elite, young running back that PSU hasn’t had in decades.
While the QB controversy rages around blue-chip versus blue-collar, maybe the bigger secret to PSU’s success this year is Silas Redd. Questions of the passing game suddenly become smaller when you have an unstoppable and explosive tailback behind your signal-caller.
What kind of impact could Redd have as a 1,500 yard rusher in season #2? What might it do for PSU’s national image to have a multiple-year Heisman contender? How might it help recruiting—particularly in a world where Pittsburgh and Ohio State are trending downward—to tell future offensive players that they can play alongside a possible first-round draft pick if they come to Penn State? Could Penn State be a national title contender again with a premiere young running back?
For these answers to these questions, ask the Pittsburgh teams of the seventies.
Ryan J. Murphy is the author of the “Games of our Lives” series on the Nittany Lion Den, a 20-part series chronicling the greatest Penn State victories of this generation. Check back next week for the 1981 Pittsburgh game!
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