Blue White Illustrated

ZACH ZWINAK BY THE NUMBERS YEAR GP ATT. GAIN LOSS NET AVG. TD LONG AVG./G REC. YARDS AVG. TD LONG AVG./G 2011 2 3 7 0 7 2.3 0 5 3.5 0 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 2012 12 203 1,007 7 1,000 4.9 6 50 83.3 20 177 8.9 1 31 14.8 TOTAL 14 206 1,014 7 1,007 4.9 6 50 72.4 20 177 8.9 1 31 14.8 "He had been to Virginia Tech, where his father played, and that's where everybody thought he would go," Thomas said. "But he decided that he liked Penn State better. And he could get in his truck and drive home. He does like to come home." Zwinak arrived at Penn State in 2010 and redshirted. He tore his ACL in practice partway through the season, and returned a year later, playing in two games and gaining 7 yards. His name wasn't particularly well known. Then came the NCAA sanctions, and Redd's transfer. Zwinak's name still barely popped up as an option at tailback for Penn State, although he did field some calls from schools wondering if he wanted to transfer, too. But Zwinak texted Conner and said: "Coach, we still get to have this season." He was just happy that the NCAA hadn't taken away the entire season, and that didn't surprise his high school coach at all. "That's how he his," Conner said. "Some people wake up in the morning, they want to do well on a test. Or do something in the community. A lot of times, Zach's first thought is football. He wants to know, 'What can I do to get better?' That's what makes him tick." Gradually, Zwinak made his way up the depth chart. At first, he got only a few carries a game. Then he began spelling the starter, Bill Belton, gaining 100 yards or more twice, and coming just 6 yards short against Temple, the first game in which he saw significant time. He started the last four games, gaining more than 100 yards each time. And in the season finale against Wis- consin, Zwinak carried a career-high (dating back to youth league) 36 times for 179 yards, bringing his season total to exactly 1,000. "He's surpassed where he was," coach Bill O'Brien said in mid-November, acknowledging that Zwinak wasn't high on the coaching staff's radar after spring practice. "He came out there and really did a nice job of doing what we coached him to do. He's a tough kid. He can run; he's faster than people think he is. And there are things he needs to get better at." Namely, holding onto the football. Although he carries the ball with two hands – something his high school coaches drilled into him when defenders decided the only way to stop him was to slap the ball out of his hands – Zwinak still had a tendency to fumble. "I've got to continue to grow as a player and make sure I continue to hold onto it on every play," he said. "As a learning player, you have to make sure you remember everything, and there's so much going on, you have to remember every little thing on every play. That's the No. 1 thing, but that's the easiest to forget, sometimes, when there's so much going on." After the season, Conner teased Zwinak about being the lowest-ranked 1,000-yard rusher in Penn State history. "And then I said, 'Now, your goal should be to be the lowest 2,000-yard rusher in school history,' " Conner said. "That's the next step. We talk about setting goals, achieving goals, resetting goals. He's gotta reset some goals and work toward them. I think Zach will do that." And he will do it at Penn State. Thomas said her son hasn't received calls from other schools – or, at least, he hasn't told her about them – and Zwinak, after the Wisconsin game, said he intends to remain a Nittany Lion. "I came to a decision to stay this year, and that was a decision to stay through the end," he said. "I'm not going to stay one-and-done. I made the commitment, and I'm going to finish it out." Fajita Fa F jita Platter Platter the the 814-865-8580 www.nittanylioninn.psu.edu www www.nittanylioninn.psu.edu

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