Penn State Sports Magazine
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Michael Zordich and Zach Zwinak take turns gouging Temple SOMETHING IN RESERVE LORI SHONTZ | B L U E WH I T E c O N T R I B U T O R Zach Zwinak was happy just to hear his number called. The reserve full- back, a redshirt sophomore, carried the ball four times all last season. Be- fore Saturday's game against Temple, he had carried it three more times this season, for a total of 2 yards. But by the end of the game, with all three of Penn State's tailbacks in- jured, with fullback-turned-tailback Michael Zordich on the sideline, his left knee encased in ice, Zwinak was the Nittany Lions' go-to guy. In his first significant action, he car- ried 18 times for 94 yards and helped Penn State to a season-high 173 rushing yards. And he couldn't quite believe it. He hadn't played so such much since his senior year at Linganore High School in Frederick, Md., when he carried 164 times for 2,109 yards and 25 touchdowns. "It's an exciting feeling," he said. "Just going out there and playing is all I was hoping for." The way Penn State's running back situation has worked out this season, it should have been no surprise. It's the position at which coach Bill O'Brien's "next man up" philosophy has been particularly relevant. "They all have to be ready," senior center Matt Stankiewitch said. "That's the thing. It's not like you can just draft someone or pick someone up as a free agent. You have to be all ready – it doesn't matter if you're a fresh- man or a senior – all be ready to play. You never know when your number will be called." First, Silas Redd transferred. Then Bill Belton – moved from wide receiver to running back shortly after O'Brien took over – sprained his ankle in the Ohio game, and he hasn't played since. Then Derek Day, a walk-on who played his way into a scholarship, went down with a shoulder injury against Virginia. Steve Manuel Which put Zordich into the spot- light. He excelled at tailback against Navy, and he played even better Sat- urday against Temple. He raised his career-high to 75 yards rushing, caught four passes four 39 yards and gave everyone in the stadium a thrill when he attempted to hurdle a Tem- ple defensive back who was standing upright and was between him and the first-down marker. But late in the third quarter, Zordich got hit and limped off the field. He did- n't return, although he said he fully expects to play Saturday against Illi- nois, and O'Brien seemed to think so, too. "He's a tough guy," the coach said. "I say he'd probably spit on it and it'll be all right." With Curtis Dukes nursing what O'Brien said was thigh injury, that left Zwinak. "You never know what's going to happen," Zwinak said. "Well, Zordich would start. He played a great S E P T E M B E R 2 2 , 2 0 1 2 6 game, and it's unfortunate that's the reason I got on the field, but I've been working hard, and I just wanted to make sure I kept up what he started." Like any running back worth his salt, he gave credit to his offensive line for "getting great push." Stankiewitch said the linemen don't care who's run- ning behind them. "We try to practice with consistency," he said. "They're all coached by the same coach, they're going to try to go through the same holes that are avail- able. Of course guys vary, talent-level and skillwise, but the block is the same for this back as with another back." Which doesn't mean that Penn State wouldn't like a few more options going into the Big Ten season. That's why perhaps the best news came after the game, when Belton sent a tweet that saluted his teammates for the win and ended: "Time for Illinois. Guess who's backkkk." B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . c O M FINISHING TOUCHES With Zordich hurt, Zwinak stepped forward and helped clinch Penn State's vic- tory. He finished with 18 carries for 94 yards.