The 2012 Penn State football season was one that fans will not soon forget. Coach Bill O’Brien brought to Happy Valley a fresh look on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball that left fans excited and onlookers impressed. But how good was 2012 really? Here is a look back at some of the standout performers on the offensive side of the ball.
Zach Zwinak: For someone who entered the season as an unknown, Zwinak made the most of his chances racking up 1,007 yards rushing. Zwinak is the 40th running back to break the 1000-yard mark at Penn State and is now just over 300 yards away from former Nittany Lion Stephfon Gren who tallied 1351 yards on the ground while at Penn State.
If Zwinak were to repeat his 2012 performance exactly he would pass Franco Harris on the all-time rushing list, good enough for No. 17 just behind Jon Williams’ 2042 yards. With six 100-yard rushing games to his name, Zwinak is currently tied all-time with the likes of Rodney Kinlaw and Bob Campbell, sitting on a 100-yard game behind Silas Redd. Curt Warner leads Penn State running backs with 18 games of 100 or more yards.
