UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- For a small guy, Penn State's Stephfon Green sure talks a big game.

The speedy redshirt freshman backup tailback rattles off answers almost as quickly as he scampers to the outside.

"I'm ready to go," Green said. "I'm ready to contribute. I'm ready to make my mark."

Green's game-breaking speed will be difficult for opposing teams to ignore. He has been timed at 4.25 seconds in the 40-yard dash.

"Stephfon is an exciting player," offensive coordinator Galen Hall said. "He is a home run threat every time he touches the ball. We haven't had that since I've been here."

Green, 5 feet 10 and 194 pounds, has been the talk of the team and town since the Blue-White game this spring, when he rushed for a game-high 87 yards and scored on an electrifying 57-yard touchdown run on the second play in his debut.

The Bronx, N.Y., native shrugs off criticism about his size.

"I don't feel like I'm small," he said. "I feel like I have a big heart. That [makes] up for the weight and height I don't have."

Coach Joe Paterno believes Green can withstand the test of a heavy workload.

"I think he can handle 20, 25 [carries]," Paterno said. "I think Stephfon's got a great career ahead of him. He didn't finish up his [senior year of] high school the way he started it because of a knee injury. But, I think Stephfon will be fine, and we think he can be an all-purpose back."

Even redshirt sophomore Evan Royster, the No. 1 tailback, is pumped to see Green strut his stuff in a regular-season game.

"There's no tough love between us," Royster said. "We all know that Stephfon's an exciting back. I'm excited to see him, just like everybody else."

Royster, 6-1, 211, and Green will line up in the backfield together at times in the "Spread HD" offense. And Green will be used in the slot as a receiver, giving him more opportunities in the open field.

"We've got so many weapons on offense, we have to use them," Royster said. "We're trying to mix it up. ... We've really got the option to do anything. We can put in two 'A' backs; an 'A' back, a tailback and a fullback; or we can do a tailback and a flanker."

The Nittany Lions' version of the spread offense will not rely strictly on passing. If anything, the running game will be the first option.

A year ago, Penn State ran the ball 56 percent of the time. Austin Scott started the year at tailback, but after he was dismissed, seldom-used fifth-year senior Rodney Kinlaw took over and Royster moved up to No. 2.

Kinlaw finished with 1,329 yards and 10 touchdowns, despite only starting the last nine games. Royster gained 513 yards, averaged 6.3 yards per carry, scored five touchdowns and was named to The Sporting News' Big Ten all-freshman team.

The Fairfax, Va., native was limited to three carries in the final two regular-season games due to a sprained ankle, but rebounded to score the winning touchdown on a 38-yard run in the Alamo Bowl.

"We've got an offensive line that can open up holes," Royster said. "We saw that last year. They just blow people out of the water."

Green spent last season on the foreign team. This spring, he admitted he wasn't happy with the coaches' decision.

"I pouted last year when they told me they were going to redshirt me," he said. "Every game I cried. I wanted to be out there."

Green figures to be happier this year because he will get plenty of playing time, along with Royster. Brent Carter, a redshirt sophomore and former safety who gained 43 yards last season, also could get some carries.

"It'll all work out for the three of us," Green said. "If Evan has the inside game, Brent Carter has both and I'm more of an outside guy, we'll be fine. But I feel like I can run inside the tackles, too."