Short-yardage / goal-line · enumeration
Who gets the tough yard
6/19Inside-5 share
6 of the team's 19 inside-the-5 carries (31.6%).
Zach Zwinak
Last confirmed: Penn State, 2014. No 2026 box-score games on record.
6′1″ · Frederick, MD · Linganore
Zach Zwinak: RB · Penn State · #28.
Players he’s like
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Zach Zwinak
Does a little of everything without one standout trait. One game to point at: 32 rushing yards and 1 rushing TD against UCF — Week 1, 2014.
How he plays
How he plays
Play style
Plays within the scheme — consistent production without a dominant dimension.
News and fans
No outlet on our list has written about him by name this season.
Penn State in the news
Where to follow him
Career stats
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Season | Team | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Penn State | 40 | 112 | 2.8 | 3 |
| Career | 40 | 112 | 2.8 | 3 |
Game log
Game log · Week-by-week
2014 season · 6 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 26-24@ UCF | 12 | 32 | 2.7 | 1 | 12 | Season-high 32 yds |
| Wk 2 | W 21-3vs Akron | 10 | 30 | 3.0 | 0 | 18 | |
| Wk 3 | W 13-10@ Rutgers | 2 | 7 | 3.5 | 0 | 7 | |
| Wk 4 | W 48-7vs Massachusetts | 9 | 28 | 3.1 | 2 | 7 | |
| Wk 5 | L 6-29vs Northwestern | 4 | 8 | 2.0 | 0 | 5 | |
| Wk 7 | L 13-18@ Michigan | 3 | 7 | 2.3 | 0 | 3 | |
| Total | 40 | 112 | 2.8 | 3 | 18 |
Signature game
Week 1 · 2014
W 26-24
vs UCF · neutral site
32 rush yds (12 car) · 1 TD
A wire-to-wire battle — won by 2 at a neutral site.
With C. Hackenberg — 454 yds · 1 TD · 2 INT · QBR 69.2 · G. Lewis — 8 rec · 173 yds · 1 TD
Signature plays
The plays that mattered most
- Week 4 · Massachusetts · 1st and 10 · Q2 · EPA −2.53Zach Zwinak run for 3 yds to the PnSt 45 PENN ST Penalty, Offensive Holding (Brendan Mahon) to the PnSt 45
- Week 1 · UCF · 3rd and 1 · Q1 · EPA +2.45Zach Zwinak run for 1 yd for a TD, (Sam Ficken KICK)
- Week 4 · Massachusetts · 3rd and 1 · Q2 · EPA +2.45Zach Zwinak run for 1 yd for a TD, (Sam Ficken KICK)
- Week 4 · Massachusetts · 1st and 5 · Q2 · EPA +1.88Zach Zwinak run for 5 yds for a TD, (Sam Ficken KICK)
- Week 1 · UCF · 2nd and 1 · Q3 · EPA −1.64Zach Zwinak run for a loss of 1 yard to the 50 yard line
- Week 4 · Massachusetts · 1st and 5 · Q1 · EPA −1.44Zach Zwinak run for no gain to the PnSt 39
4 more plays
- Week 7 · Michigan · 3rd and 2 · Q3 · EPA +1.36Zach Zwinak run for 3 yds to the PnSt 49 for a
- Week 2 · Akron · 1st and 10 · Q4 · EPA +1.34Zach Zwinak run for 1 yd to the Akron 41 for a AKRON Penalty, Face Mask (15 yards) (Se'Von Pittman) to the Akron 44 for a
- Week 1 · UCF · 1st and 10 · Q3 · EPA +1.30Zach Zwinak run for 9 yds to the UCF 49
- Week 2 · Akron · 2nd and 4 · Q3 · EPA −1.30Zach Zwinak run for a loss of 2 yards to the Akron 37
Rushing profile
Rush profile · Shape, efficiency, and ball security
How he gets his yards, and how often it works
40 of 40 carries matched to play-by-play
Success rate
38%40 carriesStuffed
0 or fewer yds22%of carries
9 carries
Grind
1–3 yds48%of carries
19 carries
Chunk
4–9 yds25%of carries
10 carries
Explosive
10+ yds5%of carries
2 carries
5 of 7 (71%) converted on 3rd/4th & short (≤2 to go) · 3 of 6 (50%) scored from inside the 5-yard line
2.8 yds/carry on 40 carries · 5% explosive (10+ yds) · 38% success rate.
Teams and coaches
2014Penn State7-6HC: James Franklin · Balanced
Our ratings
Splits
Home and road splits, scheme and staff
Splits · Per-game
2014 season · 6 games
Home vs Road
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home3g | 22.0 | 2.7 | 0.7 |
| Road2g | 7.0 | 2.9 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 18.7 | 2.8 | 0.5 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
James Franklin
Pass share
52.9%
496 pass / 441 run
Plays / game
72.1
13 games
Team sack rate
8.0%
549 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced.
Awards
Player standing · 2014
40 carries in 6 games
Fewer touches a game than most FBS running backs who play every week.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Five seasons at Penn State
- 2014 Penn State FranklinYear 5 · 6 games
- 2013 Penn State O'BrienYear 4 · on the roster, no stat line
- 2012 Penn State O'BrienYear 3 · on the roster, no stat line
- 2011 Penn State PaternoYear 2 · on the roster, no stat line
- 2010 Penn State PaternoYear 1 · on the roster, no stat line
- Before collegeSigned with Penn State in 2010 as a 3-star recruit, No. 421 in the country.
His moves
- Signed with Penn State in the 2010 class, a 3-star recruit.
How it ended
One season at Penn State, 112 rushing yards — his college career is complete.
His career
2010
- Signed with Penn State3-star out of Linganore
Coaching lineage · 2010–2014
3 coachesPlayed under 3 different head coaches: Joe Paterno, Bill O'Brien, and James Franklin. Multi-era developmental context.