Brandon Zeman scored a touchdown in his first two starts at Bethany College.

Not bad for a defensive player.

"I intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown in each of my first two starts," said Zeman, a 5-foot-9, 175-pound senior defensive back from Bridgeville who graduated from Chartiers Valley High School.

The interceptions occurred in 2006 during Zeman's sophomore season. He picked off a pass in Bethany's opener against Muskingum and returned it 55 yards for a score. In week two, he returned another interception 35 yards for a touchdown in a game against Hiram, which helped the Bison record the first win for coach Tim Weaver.

"Brandon has been a leader since I came to Bethany," said Weaver, who is entering his third season. "The team voted him as one of our captains at our spring game, even though he was recovering from an injury."

Zeman suffered a season-ending knee injury last season in the Bison's game against Waynesburg in week six.

"Brandon blew out his ACL," said Weaver. "Our defense really missed him the last month of the season."

Despite the injury, Zeman was recognized on the Presidents' Athletic Conference All-Star Team as an honorable mention selection. In six games, Zeman recorded 25 solo tackles, 10 assists, four pass breakups, one sack, and one interception that he returned 32 yards.

"I had surgery and missed the last four games," said Zeman. "The recovery period was nine months. It was a long wait and a lot of hard work, but I'm good to go for my senior year."

Zeman plays cornerback and safety for the Bison.

"Brandon has everything you would want in a defensive back," Weaver said. "He's a great cover guy with great instincts who isn't afraid of contact. He's very physical and understands our defensive scheme very well.

"We use Brandon at cornerback on first and second down, then move him around on third down. Sometimes we use him on the blitz, while other times he's covering a receiver. We make it tough for an opposing offense to figure out what he's going to do."

Zeman doesn't mind switching positions.

"It doesn't matter which position I play. I just like defense," Zeman said. "I like safety a little more because you can see everything.

"A safety has more responsibility and has to think more. A cornerback has to concentrate on one receiver. It's more of a one-on-one thing."

Zeman came to Bethany after starting two years at Chartiers Valley.

"I was looking for a small school that was close to home," said Zeman. "Bethany gave me just what I was looking for."

Zeman played in five games as a freshman, mostly on special teams. He had five tackles, including three solo stops.

As a sophomore, Zeman received PAC honorable mention honors after recording 43 tackles, including 25 solo stops. He also had four pass breakups, two interceptions, and two tackles for a loss.

"We're a little young in some positions, but we should be good," Zeman said of the 2008 team. "I think we're going to surprise some teams."

Bethany has six starters returning from a defense that ranked eighth out of nine teams in the PAC in scoring defense (31.4 points per game) and total defense (390.6 yards per game).

"The secondary will be the strength of our defense," Zeman said. "We have everybody back in the secondary."

Zeman is majoring in physical education.

"I have one semester to finish my degree," Zeman said. "I will be doing an internship this fall and then graduate."