It was Zach Line’s dream to play college football in Hawaii, he just hadn’t planned on doing it in the red and blue of a Southern Methodist University jersey.

Or, as a record-setting running back.

“I thought I’d be a (University of Hawaii) Warrior,” Line said. “And a linebacker.”

Instead he comes to Aloha Stadium for the Christmas Eve Sheraton Hawaii Bowl against Fresno State as Conference USA’s offensive player of the year, the Warrior who almost was.

Line’s journey from tiny Oxford, Mich., (population 3,500) has been more curious than any of the runs that have taken him to 4,114 career yards and 46 rushing touchdowns at SMU.

Largely unrecruited by Division I schools out of Oxford despite a stellar two-way career as a linebacker and running back (1,723 yards his senior year), it took the intervention of a neighbor to bring him to then-Hawaii head coach June Jones’ attention in 2007.

“Nobody was really recruiting me so Bill Keenist, the father of one of my teammates, contacted Coach Jones,” Line said. “He (Keenist) was vice president of communications for the Lions and knew Coach Jones from his time in Detroit, so he sent him my tape.”

Jones offered a scholarship to UH, but before Line could take his recruiting trip, the coach was on his way to SMU in January 2008. “He offered me a scholarship to SMU, too,” Line said. But first he asked Line to send him another tape because he had to leave the original at UH.”

The 6-foot, 1-inch, 230-pound Line chose to follow Jones to Dallas, but thought he was doing so as a linebacker, a position he predominately played in high school. “I was just a running back for just one season in high school,” Line said. “But when I was coming out of the tunnel for that first spring practice, Coach Jones stopped me and told me to go back in and put a different jersey on (for offense).”

That season, Line played in all 13 games, helping the Mustangs to the Hawaii Bowl, the school’s first bowl appearance in 25 years. Then, he rushed for 1,000 yards or more in each of his final three seasons at SMU, including 1,207 this year to lead C-USA. He became a three-time All-Conference USA pick and helped the Mustangs to four consecutive bowls, a first at the school.

But he has yet to lose the linebacker mentality. “That’s why I like playing on special teams,” said Line, who counts his memorable moment as the time he knocked the ball out of a Texas Christian return man’s arms, setting up a touchdown in the 2011 upset of the Horned Frogs.

“Hawaii is a paradise and it (the Hawaii Bowl) is an amazing bowl,” Line said. “I still remember when we got to the bowl (in 2009) and we got to our hotel, the Sheraton. You could see everybody on their balconies hooting and hollering that we made it (here). I look forward to it again this year.”  

For Line, the return for the Christmas Eve game will be a reminder of the path almost taken.

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Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com or 529-4820.