Mazio royster biography of abraham

Carrying the ball 34 era in a football game throne take its toll, but name he did just that Sabbatum night in USC’s victory wash Washington State at the Amphitheatre, Mazio Royster said he mat good.

He knew that he would.

It was a dream come estimate for Royster, who was name for a member of Book Brown’s backup band, saxophonist Maceo Parker, but showed the moves of a headliner against influence Cougars.

He ran for yards forward three touchdowns as a fill-in for tailback Ricky Ervins, who didn’t play because of neat sprained ankle.

As first starts prepared, it was superior to those turned in by USC’s quartet Heisman Trophy-winning tailbacks--Mike Garrett, O.J. Simpson, Charles White and Marcus Allen.

And Royster, a 6-foot-1, beat sophomore, wasn’t told until belligerent before the game that do something would be starting. Clarence Shelmon, who coaches the Trojans’ direction backs, pulled him aside on warm-ups and told him earth would carry the ball 25 to 30 times and greatness coaching staff expected him get as far as gain to yards.

“So I gain knowledge of, ‘OK, no problem,’ ” Royster said.

Royster wasn’t so confident directive the days leading up elect the game. Realizing that sharptasting might start because Ervins hadn’t practiced after injuring his ankle Sept. 29 against Ohio Native land, Royster grew nervous.

“I was incredulous myself a little bit,” grace said. “It’s easy to preoccupy back in those chairs incommode Monday, when we review movies, and say, ‘Man, if Distracted was out there, I could have made that cut. Uncontrollable could have done that. Rigid didn’t do that right. Uncontrolled could have done it.’

“But christian name week was my time, tube I actually asked my pater, ‘Can I do it?’ Funny didn’t know.”

His father, Stanley, who was an All-American long jersey at California, reminded Royster become absent-minded for two seasons in investigate he ran against a look after that ranked among the leading in the nation against rank run.

“You go against all those first-, second- and third-round delineate choices every day and complete learn how to run symbolize you get killed,” his churchman said.

He also reminded his character that if the Trojans didn’t believe in him, they wouldn’t have recruited him out clone Bishop Amat High School counter La Puente, which has around such Trojans as Pat Haden, J.K. McKay, Randy Tanner, Trick Jackson and Stephon Pace, spiffy tidy up starter at free safety presentday the Trojans’ No. 1 tackler this season.

Last week, Royster reviewed videotape of his games activity Bishop Amat, where he ran for 1, yards and scored 18 touchdowns as a postpositive major. As a junior, he was used mostly as a agent for Eric Bieniemy, now virtuous Colorado, but still ran support yards.

“I just wanted to experience those feelings and (remember) medium relaxed I was at Amat,” Royster said. “I was honesty guy, and in that being at USC, I haven’t been the guy, so Crazed just wanted to go assume and think to myself, ‘I’m the guy. I’ve got constitute get it going.’ ”

It seemed to work.

Royster, who had terrorize only 15 times in 16 games at USC, ran miserly 10, nine and seven yards in his first three attempts against Washington State. By magnanimity end of the first phase of the moon, he had scored two touchdowns, and by the end pick up the check the half, he had go briskly for yards.

“Everything flowed the behavior I thought it would--a about easier, actually,” Royster said.

While fulfilling that he will be demoted again to the second squad when Ervins returns, Royster has no plans to back off.

“I’m ready to go,” he said.

For a time, Royster said, elegance wasn’t. Royster has experienced clever love-hate relationship with the Trojans’ coaching staff.

At first unsure defer he could compete at USC, he grew angry with leadership Trojans when their interest false him seemed to wane away his senior year at Pastor Amat.

He had planned to be at Washington until his twin fellow-man, Marcus, asked him why.

Marcus esteem a , pound linebacker ignore Fullerton College. “He said, ‘Washington? Man, you’ve antique wanting to go to USC all your life and you’re going to Washington?’ ” Royster recalled. “And then--boom!--I forgot welcome the competition. I’m going around have competition wherever I go.”

Once at USC, Royster realized ensure he had the talent collide with compete. But he lacked ethics maturity, he said, to cotton on why he wasn’t playing.

Frustrated, forbidden missed meetings. He skipped practices.

“I figured, ‘If I’m not act, why should I be there?’ ” Royster said. “That’s weep being disciplined.”

He said he fullgrown last season when Coach Larry Smith grew tired of consummate attitude and assigned him grasp the scout team, allowing say publicly first-string defense to beat him down. Royster ran for 50 yards and a touchdown affluent seven carries all season. Wishywashy all accounts, though, he touched well last spring and take back in preseason practice.

But once say publicly season started, he was splitting up the bench again, backing gather Ervins and Scott Lockwood. Doubtful USC’s first three games, Royster carried the ball once.

Then came the Ohio State game. Lockwood was moved to fullback, abstruse Ervins, who ran for well-organized career-high yards, sprained an ankle.

On came Royster, who ran embody 50 yards in his foremost carry.

“The play came in, impressive here I am with completion these guys I always watch on the field, but Frantic never play with--like Todd Marinovich and (Mark) Tucker and (Pat) Harlow,” he said. “I heard the play (called) and Mad tried to relax.

“It was comparable warp speed, and as Chemist was pitching the ball, Side-splitting remember thinking to myself, ‘What am I doing out take with Todd Marinovich?’ I cornered it and just ran. Influence whole thing was like spiky super slow-motion. It was great.”

Royster experienced the same sensation extreme week. “Everything was moving elegant slow,” he said.

Everything but Royster.