Heck, think Franco Harris, maybe Penn State's last true ball-carrying threat as a fullback. Harris rushed for 2,002 yards and scored 24 touchdowns for the Nittany Lions from 1969 to '71, but he was more widely perceived as a lead blocker for All-America tailback Lydell Mitchell, who finished fifth in the 1971 Heisman Trophy balloting while rushing for 1,567 yards and scoring a national-best 29 touchdowns.

Even before the proliferation of spread offenses, with their three- and four-wide receiver sets, fullbacks - at least those who get to run with the ball more than once in a blue moon - had become dinosaurs in the ever-more-wide-open college game, a symbol of what was rather than what is.

Now that Penn State is increasingly operating out of something called the "Spread HD," in which senior wide receivers Deon Butler, Derrick Williams and Jordan Norwood are the equivalent of rock stars, the traditional fullback has been relegated to an even less visible role. Dan Lawlor, a 6-2, 245-pound senior, is sixth on the depth chart at running back because Penn State no longer lists fullback as a separate position.

"Every week [Evan] Royster, [Brent] Carter and [Stephfon] Green kid me about that," said Lawlor, who frequently serves as a lead blocker for the more celebrated tailbacks several rungs above him on the depth chart. "It's kind of funny."

Not that Lawlor, who figures to see significant playing time tomorrow when the 16th-ranked Lions (3-0) host Temple (1-2) in Beaver Stadium, finds football to be an especially humorous endeavor. You can't hurl your body around as Lawlor does if you don't take the game seriously.

"[Center] A.Q. Shipley says he likes playing hissed off," Lawlor said. "I totally agree with that. You have to play reckless. Linemen and fullbacks have to move people for everybody else."

Clearing the path for someone else wasn't what Lawlor was accustomed to during a stellar career at Cumberland Valley High. In leading his team to a 33-4 record and two Mid-Penn Conference titles during his three seasons as a starter, Lawlor bulldozed his way to 4,237 yards on 662 carries while scoring 84 touchdowns.

Once he arrived in Happy Valley in 2004, though, Lawlor learned - actually, he had a pretty good idea going in - that his job description was going to be radically different.

"Fullbacks here are primarily blockers," Lawlor said. "I had to come to Penn State to learn how to block because all I did in high school was run the ball. But I was up to the challenge."

Lawlor gets onto the field mostly on short-yardage and goal-line situations in which another large body is especially useful. He has carried the ball only 15 times in a Penn State uniform, gaining 66 yards and scoring two touchdowns. But with Royster, Green and Carter all off to productive starts, carries have been even more scarce for Lawlor, who has gotten the call three times this season, gaining 2 yards. All three carries came in last week's 55-13 romp at Syracuse, but one of those produced his second career touchdown, a 1-yard plunge that gave the Lions a 21-0, first-quarter lead.

"When the call came in from the sideline, I asked [quarterback] Daryll Clark, 'Am I really getting the ball?' But it was a good feeling, getting into the end zone again. I was pretty excited."

Clark called Lawlor "an unsung hero" of a Penn State offense that averages 55.3 points and 536 yards per game.

"Dan takes pride in lead-blocking and pass-blocking," Clark said. "He doesn't get the ball often, but he's a very unselfish person. He knows his role."

Lawlor, who earned his degree in marketing in December, realizes a transition to the NFL is probably a longshot. But, hey, you never know where the need for a fullback is likely to develop.

In 2006, Lawlor mostly watched from the sideline as Penn State's starting tailback, Tony Hunt, rushed for 1,386 yards. Now Hunt is a fullback for the Eagles.

"I never saw that coming," Lawlor said. "Tony was one heck of a running back when he was here. He was really powerful, but he had moves. Seeing him at fullback was kind of different at first, but that's the role the Eagles want him to play. I can relate. I know he's going to go out there and give it his all."

3 things to watch

* It's early and the schedule has been soft, but the Lions already have 24 plays of 20 or more yards.

* Jeremy Boone is like the Maytag repairman, called upon to punt only seven times (for a 43.7-yard average), including just one punt at Syracuse.

Agenda

When: Tomorrow, noon

Where: Beaver Stadium, State College

TV: Big Ten Network

Radio: WNTP (990-AM); WPHT (1210-AM)

Records: Temple 1-2; Penn State 3-0

History: Penn State leads, 33-3-1. The Nittany Lions won each of the last two games by shutout, 31-0 last season at Lincoln Financial Field and 47-0 in 2006 in Beaver Stadium.

Coaches: Al Golden (third season at Temple, 6-21; Joe Paterno, 43rd season at Penn State, 375-125-3)

Temple update: Redshirt freshman tailback Joe Jones gets his first start and a mandate to help upgrade a weak rushing attack that produced only 104 yards against Buffalo and 128 yards against Connecticut ... The Owls don't expect to have starting middle linebacker Alex Joseph (foot) available ... Senior wide receiver Bruce Francis has at least one pass reception in 29 straight games, dating to the 2006 season ... Quarterback Adam DiMichele originally signed with Penn State, but opted to play minor league baseball instead.

Penn State update: Injured linebacker Sean Lee is not moping around while recovering from offseason knee surgery. Lee, a senior who will return in 2009, has been a positive force during practices and games. "Sean does a great job helping me reading [pass routes]," middle linebacker Josh Hull said. "He definitely gets in my ear if I make the wrong read" ... XXXL-sized freshman defensive tackle Brandon Ware, now up to 370 or so pounds, won't play until he takes off at least 40 pounds ... Senior placekicker Kevin Kelly, the Neshaminy High product, has 61 career field goals, 12 shy of the Big Ten record of 72 set by Ohio State's Mike Nugent from 2001-04.

Prediction