George Ferguson Column: Zach keeps amazing me, so I'll keep writing about it

I haven't counted, but I'm sure, over the last four seasons of Montana State University-Northern football, I've written multiple columns about Zach McKinley. Probably enough times that I sound like a broken record.

But I don't really care what I sound like, and nobody uses records anymore, so how does anyone know what broken ones sound like to begin with?

No matter, even if I do sound like one, in McKinley's case, it's well deserved, and it's necessary to keep on writing about him.

And Saturday night was just one more reason why.

For much of a 52-31 loss to Eastern Oregon, the Lights were too far behind to realistically catch up and win. And for a good portion of the game, Eastern Oregon's physical and confusing defense did a good job of getting their arms around McKinley.

And still, the senior running back managed to steal the show, he managed to make the fans inside chilly Blue pony Stadium feel like the Lights always had a chance, and, once again, he managed to amaze me.

McKinley doesn't quit. And I'm not talking about the giving up on the game type of quitting. I personally don't think any college football players do that. No, what I mean is, McKinley doesn't quit on himself, not for a single play, and not even on the sidelines when he's not in the game.

That was again evident Saturday night as he barreled down the field in the second quarter for a huge gain when the Lights were down 21-3, or when he bulldozed his way to 51 yards on Northern's opening drive of the third quarter. And it was on display when he went high into the air to haul in a pass, one for which he knew he would, and did, take a vicious shot from an EOU linebacker.

No, the McKinley we've all grown accustomed to seeing was again on display, with his two, bruising powerful touchdown runs in the fourth quarter, even when EOU had pretty much put the game out of reach.

Again, McKinley continues to amaze me, now three-and-a-half years deep into his career. Even after watching all those games, watching him gain an incredible 4,167 yards, McKinley still leaves me shaking my head, he still leaves me saying "Wow." McKinley still leaves me feeling so lucky that I have gotten to cover him for the last four falls.

That's why I'm writing about him again this week. That's why I won't be done writing stories and columns on him until his incredible career is over, and I might not be done even then. As they say in our business, he deserves the ink. He deserves the pub.

In fact, I haven't covered many individual players that have deserved it as much as Zach McKinley has, and I have absolutely no problem sounding like a broken record. Whatever that means.