Penn State utilizes Zordich's running

STATE COLLEGE - Don't get in Michael Zordich's way.

Temple tried on Saturday, and it didn't turn out so well. Zordich bowled over the Owls in the Nittany Lions' 24-13 win on Saturday at Beaver Stadium, accumulating 75 yards on 15 carries and 39 on four receptions before leaving the game near the end of the third quarter with a bruised knee.

The senior is a "war dog," as senior linebacker Michael Mauti put it.

"He's really one of the toughest guys I've ever met in my life," added tight end Kyle Carter.

Zordich was here, there and everywhere Saturday. He started as a combination of a tailback and fullback, receiving a toss, taking handoffs and catching passes. He posted career highs in both receiving and rushing yards, accounting for a total of 114.

So Zordich, one of the indubitable leaders of this Nittany Lions team (2-2), was in for some high praise after his effort.

"He's one of the toughest guys we have on the team. He's one of the hardest workers we have on the team. You can't say enough about him," said quarterback Matt McGloin, who accounted for three touchdowns.

Zordich, a fullback by trade, saw so much action because of injuries to running backs Bill Belton (ankle) and Derek Day (shoulder). In the season's first two games, Zordich totaled just three carries for 8 yards. He had 11 carries for 50 yards against Navy after Day was hurt, and certainly did not look back against Temple (1-2).

Zordich's dad, Mike, is the Eagles' safeties coach and was an All-America safety at Penn State before his NFL playing career. The younger Zordich was recruited as a defensive player out of high school, but made the switch to offense after he put on the white and blue. O'Brien said his versatility is a result of his hard work and just being a "football player."

"You can't just know your own position. He's been a guy that's really worked at it, and he ran hard [Saturday] and did some really good things," O'Brien said.

He's always wanted to see more action. After Penn State's win against Navy, O'Brien noted that Zordich is quick to remind his coach that he "used to run the ball in high school." As Mauti said, the only place to see what Zordich can really do with the ball is his high-school game film because of the limited chances for yards he's had in college. Mauti says it would be an "understatement" to say Zordich has been underutilized for the past 3 years.

"You saw him run today. He runs pretty damn hard," Mauti said of his roommate, whom he likens to Minnesota Vikings running back Toby Gerhart.

Zordich's knee injury, classified as a bruise, shouldn't be that serious. Heck, even if it were, O'Brien knows a quick fix for it: "He's a tough kid. I would say he could probably spit on it and be all right."

Though there's no question Zordich is a leader of this squad, it was somewhat hard to notice in the first two games because all he really did was block. Mauti said Zordich gets in the coaches' ears, trying to get on the field.

Carter, the freshman tight end, had this to say about Zordich:

"Personally, I look up to him a lot. I'm pretty sure everyone else does. Whenever he speaks, we all listen. He always says the right thing, he's always on time, he's always hard-working.

"What's not to like?"