MOORHEAD, Minn. -- Adam Swingdorf lines up in the Concordia backfield with one thought looping constantly through his brain.
"Do not get stopped behind the line of scrimmage," says Swingdorf, a senior fullback from Inver Grove Heights, Minn. "I'm pretty straightforward. There is nothing fancy about how I run the football. There is no darting back and forth. I just get the yards we need."
Swingdorf, in his first season as a starter, is cut from the same cloth as former dominant Concordia fullbacks Ed Oehlers and Kevin Williamson.
Like his predecessors, Swingdorf is a tough, punishing runner with the ability to spring a halfback for a long gain and rumble downfield for several yards.
Swingdorf said he was helped by Oehlers and Williamson throughout his career.
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Swingdorf was a freshman when Oehlers ran for 754 yards and 15 touchdowns to help lead the Cobbers to the second round of the NCAA Division III playoffs in 2004.
Williamson had 1,530 yards and 27 touchdowns the last two seasons as the starter.
Swingdorf said that a friendly competition with Williamson for the starting job last season helped him blossom into a difference maker in the Cobbers' triple-option offense.
"I got to learn tons and tons of stuff last year," said Swingdorf, who led the Cobbers with 6.5 yards per carry last year. "With Williamson, we were competition for each other. We pushed each other to work harder than if one of us hadn't been there."
Swingdorf showed he was ready for full-time status last week in the first start of his career.
He was hard to bring down en route to 105 yards and two touchdowns in a 34-32 win against Minnesota State Moorhead.
Swingdorf ran for positive yardage on each of his 22 carries.
"Swing does everything for us," Concordia senior offensive tackle Grant Weller said. "He's a hard nosed guy and he hits the hole so fast. For a guy blocking for him, it seems like three or four steps and he's bye us up to the next level."
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Swingdorf's speed and body type is what separates him from Oehlers and Williamson. At 6-foot-2, he's taller than both of his mentors.
However, Horan said he's got a burst of speed Oehlers and Williamson didn't have.
That added asset made it easier for Concordia coach Terry Horan to cope with the loss of Williamson to graduation.
"There are not too many guys that want to go one-on-one with that guy," Horan said. "I knew he was going to be something special. He makes the offense capable of doing the things we're able to do."
Swingdorf and the Cobbers travel to NAIA competitor Dickinson State at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday at Whitney Stadium in Dickinson.
The Blue Hawks were defeated by No. 12-ranked Montana State-Northern 18-10 last week in the season opener.
Concordia's running game will likely play a major role against a typically stingy Dickinson State defense.
"I just play the game," Swingdorf said. "I don't get the crazy demeanor. I've got a job to do. If you're going to get in the way of me doing my job, it's going to be your butt that's hurting."
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