Blue White Illustrated

Zach Zwinak's career day not enough to lift Lions to victory RUN LIKE THE WIND MATT HERB | M A T T@B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . c O M LINCOLN, Neb. – One of the tough- est parts of Zach Zwinak's perform- ance against Nebraska was something that hardly anybody saw. It was un- characteristically warm in the na- tion's heartland on Saturday, and at one point in the third quarter the sophomore tailback started cramping up and was forced to retreat to the Penn State locker room to get his flu- ids replenished via an IV drip. The problem? "I don't really like needles," he said. A stout Nebraska defense doled out some pain, too, but Zwinak gave as much as he had. The sophomore run- ning back finished as the leading rusher on either team, gaining 141 yards on 21 carries. He averaged 6.7 yards per carry, largely because of a 50-yard burst on Penn State's first possession. The early touchdown run gave the Nittany Lions a 7-0 lead and the run was a career-long for Zwinak, who generally tries to power past tacklers as opposed to outrunning them. It was also the team's longest play from scrimmage this season. Asked what he saw when he took the handoff, Zwinak said, "an opening. The hole opened up and I just ran. It's exciting, because there's nothing be- tween you and the end zone. You just have to outrun the defense. "I saw some guys close to me. I was- n't sure [if] I was going to make it. But I did make it, so I was happy about that." None of Zwinak's other 20 carries unfolded as dramatically, but he kept pounding away at Nebraska and ended up breaking a personal best that he had set one week earlier with a 134-yard performance against Pur- due. He also had a fumble on Penn State's second drive, one of the tough- est breaks in an afternoon during which the Lions suffered their share of tough breaks. They had reached Steve Manuel STIFF ARM Zwinak rushed for a career-best 141 yards, but he also had a costly fumble. the Nebraska 13-yard line, but after picking up 8 yards, he was hit by Alonzo Whaley and lost the ball. The Cornhuskers recovered at their own 5-yard line, thwarting Penn State's bid to take a 14-3 lead. Zwinak called it "unacceptable." Going into the game, Zwinak figured he was going to be a big factor. The weather forecast was for strong wind gusts, making the passing game more dangerous than usual. Also, the Lions had been using Bill Belton only spar- ingly, with Zwinak emerging as the team's primary ball-carrier. "Coming into the game, we knew [the Cornhuskers] were going to have a good defense, and they were going to be concerned with stopping the run, considering the wind," Zwinak said. N O V E M B E R 1 0 , 2 0 1 2 6 LINEBACKERSGerald Hodges, Glenn Car- son and Michael Mauti combined to make 38 of Penn State's 92 tackles, but Taylor Martinez and Ameer Ab- dullah got their yards. GRADEB DEFENSIVE BACKSNebraska did most of its damage on the ground, but it still hit a few big pass plays – a testament to Martinez's improvement. GRADEB- SPECIAL TEAMS You might have expected the wind to play havoc with an erratic Penn State kicking game. Not so. Sam Ficken and Alex Butterworth both shined on Saturday. GRADEB+ COACHES The staff had a winning game plan in place. Subtract the turnovers, and Penn State probably leaves Lin- coln with a victory. GRADEB CROWD Nebraska's crowd always brings it. Memorial Stadium was a virtually unbroken sea of red on Saturday. GRADE A B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . c O M GAME GRADES QUARTERBACKS Playing against the stingi- est pass defense in the FBS – and throwing into a fierce and unpre- dictable wind – Matt McGloin had his moments. But he also had a costly in- terception early in the second half. GRADEB RUNNING BACKS PSU got off to a fast first- quarter start, but those holes got smaller in the last three quarters. The Nittany Lions got one-third of their 151 rushing yards on their first drive. GRADEB- RECEIVERS Allen Robinson, Jesse James and Brandon Moseby-Felder all had some nice catches, but a few catchable balls were dropped, too. GRADEB- OFFENSIVE LINEMcGloin was sacked three times, and the false start on fourth- and-1 at the end of the first half cost Penn State a chance to go for a touch- down. GRADEC DEFENSIVE LINEEven though Jordan Hill gave the Lions a lift by returning from his knee injury, Nebraska's running game was too good to hold down for four quarters. GRADEB-

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