Northern Game Day: Record Setter

Zach McKinley never thought about setting records, not in high school or college. In fact, there was a time when all McKinley wanted to do was be handed the football as a starting running back.

Now however, three games into his junior season at Montana State University-Northern, McKinley doesn't have to worry about getting the ball. He totes it plenty as MSU-N's starting tailback for the third straight season.

And while records still aren't foremost on his mind, or his goal sheet, records are exactly what McKinley had. And he has a lot of them.

Last Saturday in Billings, McKinley rushed for 103 yards against Rocky Mountain College, and the biggest rushing record at Northern fell with that performance. McKinley now has 2,875 career rushing yards at Northern, which puts him atop the school's all-time list. With his 350 yards this season, which leads the Frontier Conference, McKinley passed former Northern great Stephen Silva, who set the career mark, previously held by Justin Moe, with 2,856 yards from 2009-2012.

But again, that was never McKinley's goal. Never a starter as a high school running back, McKinley came to Northern to compete for the Lights' job in 2012. But a foot injury sidelined him for that entire season. The following fall, he was healthy again, but he had competition at the tailback position. And again, at that time, records were the furthest things from his mind.

"I came up here expecting and hoping to play and contribute right away," McKinley said. "But I had the foot injury and had to red-shirt. The next year, my goal was really just to be the starting running back and help this team any way I could. I never thought about records or yards or anything like that. At that time, coach (Mark) Samson told me I'd get every opportunity to compete for the starting job, and I was motivated to prove that I was the guy. So I just took it and ran with it. And it all worked out."

McKinley did win the starting job and indeed ran with it – to the tune of 1,100 yards and 12 touchdowns as a freshman. And after that, there was never a question about who the starting tailback at MSU-N was.

McKinley followed up his thrilling freshman campaign with a record-setting sophomore season. Last fall, he rushed for a school-record 1,425 yards to go along with 14 touchdowns, another MSU-N rushing record. In eight of 11 games a year ago, McKinley rushed for over 100 yards, and he topped the 200-yard mark twice, including a 222-yard performance on the final day of the season, a win at Rocky Mountain College.

In the end, McKinley averaged 130 yards per game and nearly six yards per carry. Both led the Frontier Conference, and he earned First-Team All-Conference honors. The magical season left him within sight of Silva's all-time rushing record, and now, three games into only his junior season, he has it.

And while it was never the goal, there's no doubt McKinley is proud of what he's achieved in such a short amount of time.

"When I was young, I was always up here watching game, because my brother Luke played here," McKinley said. "So I saw those great teams. At 12 years old, I idolized the guys on that great 2006 team, and now, it's pretty cool to be a part of that history. To be mentioned with guys like Donny Saisbury and Justin Moe and (Stephen) Silva, that's an honor. And it's something I can always look back and be proud of."

When people look back on the annals of Northern history, they're going to McKinley's name, a lot, and probably forever. That's because he still has eight games left this season and at least 10 or 11 next to add to his career rushing total. He already holds or is tied for 14 different records at Northern, and he's nowhere near done. And, with how many games he has left in his already brilliant career, he will likely pass, or at least threaten, many of the long-standing Frontier Conference rushing records as well.

But again, that was never McKinley's goal. And it really still isn't today. Instead, his goal has been two-fold. To be the best he can be, to work hard every day to get there. And, more importantly, to do whatever it takes to help his team win.

The first goal he said, happened for several reasons, including a growth spurt after high school.

"A big part of my success was just developing my body," he said. "I was 185 pounds when I got here, and now I'm up to 210. I put on a lot of weight. You know, you're still growing at 18-20 years old, and I think during that time, I've been able to get bigger, stronger and faster, so that's helped a lot. And you have to, because in the Frontier Conference, you get smacked a lot, so if you can stay on your feet, that really helps.

"I've also just learned a lot about being a running back during my time here," he continued. "I've had great coaches help me. I've learned to be patient, learned to see and wait for holes to open up. I've just gained a lot of experience. Plus, I've played behind some really good offensive lines, and with a lot of good offensive linemen. So they deserve a lot of the credit."

Indeed. But, with his desire, his work ethic and his ability to take a pounding and keep running style, McKinley deserves the credit and the accolades he's getting now. And while he's sure to break more records as his incredible Northern career marches on, there's one thing he wants to do above all else – win. And during his tenure at MSU-N, the Lights haven't been able to do a lot of that. But it's something he is hoping to help change before his time in the Maroon and Yellow is over, and he says he'll do whatever it takes to get that done.

"I've always thought, I would rather be an average player on a great a team, than a great player on a poor team," McKinley said. "So while it's nice to get the compliments I do about these records, and it's something I'm really proud of, I really just want to do anything I can to help us win, and help us get better. If that means carrying the ball 40 times and running for 200 yards in a game, fine. If it means blocking or whatever, fine with me. I just want to help this team get better and win.

"And we can do that still," he continued. "We're a really young team and what we really lack more than anything is experience. We have talent and we have a great group of guys who work hard every day. But we also have a lot of young guys playing college football for the first time, and in this league, that's not easy. So we just have to keep our heads up, keep moving forward, keep getting better every day, and we'll get there. And I just want to do whatever I can to help us get there. That's all I've ever wanted to do is help this team win football games, any way I can."