Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/169917
PHIL'S CORNER BY PHIL GROSZ I realize that Eastern Michigan fields one of the worst rushing defenses in the country, but you still have to be impressed with the performance of Penn State's running backs – a three-headed monster of redshirt junior Zach Zwinak, junior Bill Belton and redshirt freshman Akeel Lynch. Penn State's performance against the Eagles was truly remarkable. Combined, the trio gained 259 yards on 29 carries, av- LYNCH eraged 8.9 yards per carry and posted five touchdowns. And there's something that matters even more, something that statistics can't measure. Penn State sent a message last weekend to future opponents that Bill O'Brien is committed to producing an S E P T E M B E R offense that truly has balance between the run and pass. Zwinak, Belton and Lynch each bring a different dimension to Penn State's offense. Zwinak is the power back who runs between the tackles. He uses a punishing, north-south running style and has surprising speed. Belton, on the other hand, is Mr. Versatility. In the game against Eastern Michigan, he showed that his vision has improved and that he is capable of being a solid cutback runner. He also is Penn State's best receiver coming out of the backfield and has the ability to take it the distance once he breaks past the line of scrimmage. His 51-yard touchdown vs. the Eagles was an excellent example of his improvement. Lynch, I believe, has the highest upside of any Penn State running back. I love his size (6-foot-0, 211 pounds), his sub-4.5-second 40-yard speed, the patience he shows and his explosion through the hole once it opens up. Lynch also showed tremendous body control and balance on his 18-yard TD run in the fourth quarter against Eastern Michigan. He truly does bring 1 1 , 2 0 1 3 16 "home run" capability every time he touches the ball. Having home run capability is extremely important to PSU's running game. Last season, the Lions had only two rushes of 25 yards or more, but they bucked that trend last week. Belton had a 20-yard gain, in addition to his 51-yard TD. Lynch ripped off a run of 27 yards, plus an 18-yard touchdown run, and Zwinak had a 20-yard burst. Even Heisman Trophy winner John Cappelletti, who had his No. 22 jersey retired at halftime, noticed the potential the running game has. So much so that he's allowing Lynch to wear No. 22 for the remainder of his career. "Don't tear that number off the kid," Cappelletti told athletic director Dave Joyner. "Let him be the last one to wear it. Maybe that will be an incentive." Lynch was more than honored to meet Cappelletti after the game and accept his gracious gift. "That was pretty cool," he told Neil Rudel of the Altoona Mirror. "I get to wear it for three more years, so I'm pretty excited about that. He said he wanted me to continue wearing it. I was like, 'Thank you.' " BL UE W HI T EON L I N E. COM