All this week we here at Crystal Ball Run have been discussing some of our favorites in college football. Michael Felder wrote about why he loves South Carolina Gamecocks quarterback Stephen Garcia and Tom Perry shared some thoughts on former West Virginia quarterback Major Harris, and as a long time follower of Penn State I found myself unable to get very far in to his memory bank (but you should still read it if you have not yet).
When I decided to come up with my own piece for this week’s theme I thought it over for a while and knew I would eventually come back to something Penn State related. As I said, I grew up learning about college football by watching Penn State. Sure, I could go the expected route and tell you why I love Joe Paterno (I grew up in a house that placed a miniature cardboard Joe Pa on top of the Christmas tree every other year, except for during the early 2000’s), or I could once again wax poetic justice for the 1994 undefeated team (which to this day remains full of many fond memories for me), but when I think about my favorite player at Penn State, it may not be who you would initially think.
Allow me to introduce you to Michael Robinson, one of my favorite players in Penn State football history.
The story of Robinson is a rather interesting one, and one that proves that if a program finds the right guys with character, good things can come of it. Robinson was recruited as a quarterback by Penn State out of Virginia, one of the more notable Virginia recruits that helped pull Penn State out of the muck of the early 2000’s. The two-time AP All-Virginia athlete and offensive player of the year at the district and regional levels came to Penn State with plenty of expectations, and Penn State used him as often as they could.
Joe Paterno often is reluctant to play young players but with Robinson he had a special player that showed an early commitment to do whatever it takes to help the team win some games. The coaches lined Robinson up at quarterback, alternating with Zack Mills, at running back and at wide receiver for a wide range of offensive schemes. He was used as a slot receiver and used on reverses. His physical skills allowed for Penn State to open up their playbook from the typical vanilla offense they had been known for. It was Robinson’s abilities that helped to influence the Spread HD, as quarterbacks coach Jay Paterno would dub the offense down the road.
Robinson waited his turn to become the full-time starting quarterback, sitting behind Mills on the depth chart, although Robinson started in three games under center in 2003. When Mills graduated from Penn State, the starting job at quarterback became Robinson’s in 2005. No more would Robinson be shifted around the offense, wondering what role he would play on a weekly basis. It was set in stone. Robinson would be the quarterback, and he would be given a trio of freshmen wide receivers to throw to. Fortunately for Robinson, and Penn State, those receivers were some of the best ever recruited at the same time with Derrick Williams, Deon Butler and Jordan Norwood.
That season nobody expected much from Penn State. It was understandable. They were coming off a four-win season and had an unproven quarterback and three freshmen wide receivers. What could they possibly do in 2005? But then something started to click right off the bat.
Robinson did not have a great season debut against South Florida, but he did run for a key fourth quarter touchdown in a 23-13 victory. The following week Robinson threw three touchdown passes and rushed for one more in a 42-24 victory against new Big East member Cincinnati (coached by Mark Dantonio by the way). Three more touchdown passes and another touchdown run against Central Michigan helped Penn State get off to a 3-0 start, with Big Ten play ready to get started.
And when Big Ten play started, Robinson took charge.
On the road against Northwestern it looked as though as Penn State was going to fall back in to some old patterns form the previous couple of seasons. Trailing Northwestern 29-27 in the fourth quarter, with 1:39 to play and facing a 4th and 15 from his own 14-yard line, Robinson gave Penn State new life with a…. you know what? Words can’t do it all justice. Just watch this video clip of Robinson in the clutch (and on the receiving end of a little bit of luck)…
http://youtube.com/watch?v=
Cy323D8Go3o[/youtube]
The win showed that Penn State had shed some of that losing mentality from the past couple of years, and started to gain some attention back in central Pennsylvania. While the pass to Williams may be the signature play from that season, Robinson’s biggest “hit” came the following week against Minnesota…
http://youtube.com/watch?v=
_Quh63kQBUk[/youtube]
This was the play that really sent a message to everybody watching that Robinson, and Penn State, were tough and ready to prove to everybody that they could still compete. Don’t forget, Minnesota came in to that game with one of the best running games in the nation and were ranked 18th in the nation (Penn State was unranked entering the game, but would crack the Top 25 polls after the game).
To me, what Robinson did in those two weeks was enough for me to agree that he was what Penn State football was all about. He waited his time, took advantage of his opportunity and displayed class on and off the field once he was the man in charge. That character has gone on to the NFL, where he is now a running back for the Seattle Seahawks. He has never lost his pride in Penn State and is always willing to talk about the Nittany Lions with fans on Twitter. When Paterno was sent to the hospital this week Robinson chimed in on how great of a coach he is, calling him the real Superman.
To some Penn State fans out there, Robinson was a super man.
Follow Crystal Ball Run on Twitter @CrystalBallRun.
Follow Kevin McGuire on Twitter @KevinOnCFB. Kevin also manages Bloguin’s Penn State blog, Nittany Lion’s Den. Follow them on Twitter @TheNLD.
And feel free to follow Michael Robinson on Twitter @RealMikeRob.
