ADVERTISEMENT

Article on Wan’dale Robinson and the 2020 season...

huskerssalts

Defensive Coordinator
Oct 6, 2014
7,195
7,250
113
44
Beatrice Nebraska
Where things left off with Wan'Dale Robinson
ByBRIAN CHRISTOPHERSON 2 hours ago
9461685.jpg


The recent news has been promising for Husker wide receivers. Matt Lubick must be appreciating it. He's actually got people to fill chairs now.

Omar Manning and Zavier Betts got done what was needed, and are on the way. Marcus Fleming was showing up to Lincoln on Today. William Nixon is another joining the mix. And Alante Brown was as fast as expected while here last semester. I'd jokingly (sort of not) suggest he would have been the media darling of the spring had it kept trucking along to the point we'd now have him on the short list for the Biletnikoff right about now. You know how it goes around here.

For what was lost in practice reps, perhaps it will be for the best that the spring hype did not come in full throat for Brown.

But the more meaningful point is Matt Lubick now has a more satisfying number of options to coach and evaluate, unproven but hand-picked for this task by this Husker staff. While no final verdict has been said about JD Spielman and if he's coming back, it seems best to proceed like Coach Norman Dale in 'Hoosiers' with the "My team is on the floor" philosophy. As Lubick said a couple months ago, "The biggest thing we have to worry about is who's here now."

And based off who we know is here right now, nobody has earned the right to a bigger voice than that old-timer Wan'Dale Robinson. A true sophomore, yes. A veteran by Nebraska's wide receiver situation, yes.

Our 247Sports national guys already have Robinson on their "20 most irreplaceable players" list. Too much? I wouldn't say so.

In Robinson's case, whatever hype exists has already shown some merit on the film he had during his first act in Lincoln. I could make the argument Nebraska doesn't necessarily win the Northwestern or Illinois games without him. We already saw the dog in him against the Illini, when he basically asked coaches to keep feeding him in the second half. And he ate well that night. Catching it, running it, taking big hits and getting up for more. Husker fans seemed to know then this was different than some previously hyped recruits who didn't have the game to match.

Connected somewhat to that load he carried that night, there were not many games when he was fully healthy in 2019, Robinson told us in March.

He still had 453 receiving yards on 40 catches, and 340 yards on 88 rushes, scoring five touchdowns. After the Indiana loss, he spoke up about everyone needing to give more, and he had done enough at that point it didn't seem out of turn even coming from a then-true freshman.

"There's still some guys on the team that aren't bought all in with our mentality that Coach Frost is wanting for our team to have for the years to come, and we have to start that now ... Even though, I'm a freshman I'm still trying to get in the older guys' heads," Robinson said then.

He'd be the first to say last year was just a tease of what he thinks he can do.

He knows one of the biggest pieces for him comes down to staying healthy, which is why Nebraska's hopefully improved running back depth (with Dedrick Mills, Rahmir Johnson, Ronald Thompkins, Sevion Morrison, Marvin Scott III, and also walk-on John Bivens just arriving) could have a useful chain reaction. Ideally, it might take a few more hits off both the QB and someone like Robinson, who lined up at running back more last year to help the Huskers in a jam. Like that Illinois game, for example.

Robinson also told us in the spring he learned a few things about protecting his body during that first year of college ball.

"I really didn't get the concept of getting what you can get then getting down or get out of bounds," Robinson said. "I thought it was a little like high school where I could break a lot of tackles, but the Big Ten is a different ballgame. Just being smarter when I get into crowds and knowing that there isn't much you can get and you'll have to save yourself for the next play."

He knows he can play better than he did in 2019 – though he looked pretty good to many watching.

The belief and special talent is there. Good health just needs to accompany it. Heck, maybe that Iowa game was different last year too had Robinson not been so dinged up by that point.

That's old news now. There's a new coach to work with, and Robinson noted how well Lubick and Scott Frost seemed to mesh together even in the first spring practice.

"Him and Coach Frost probably get along better than most people he's ever worked with," Robinson said. "Just being able to put in the game plan and know exactly what is coming in. He's brought in a lot of good stuff in our room. He's added some good stuff and taken out some stuff, too. Everything has been good from what he's brought."

He's got more company now too – newcomers ready to make their mark. Having only played one season, Wan'Dale could be in mentor status for some of those.

During the offseason, a fan tweeted a highlight of Robinson's first catch as a Husker, in which he took a little pass and turned it into about a 32-yard gain. Except, Robinson was flagged for not getting set and the play was erased.

Robinson joked back on social media that he didn't mess up another motion after that one.

Such lessons gained in Year 1 add to the anticipation of what might be in Year 2.
 
Where things left off with Wan'Dale Robinson
ByBRIAN CHRISTOPHERSON 2 hours ago
9461685.jpg


The recent news has been promising for Husker wide receivers. Matt Lubick must be appreciating it. He's actually got people to fill chairs now.

Omar Manning and Zavier Betts got done what was needed, and are on the way. Marcus Fleming was showing up to Lincoln on Today. William Nixon is another joining the mix. And Alante Brown was as fast as expected while here last semester. I'd jokingly (sort of not) suggest he would have been the media darling of the spring had it kept trucking along to the point we'd now have him on the short list for the Biletnikoff right about now. You know how it goes around here.

For what was lost in practice reps, perhaps it will be for the best that the spring hype did not come in full throat for Brown.

But the more meaningful point is Matt Lubick now has a more satisfying number of options to coach and evaluate, unproven but hand-picked for this task by this Husker staff. While no final verdict has been said about JD Spielman and if he's coming back, it seems best to proceed like Coach Norman Dale in 'Hoosiers' with the "My team is on the floor" philosophy. As Lubick said a couple months ago, "The biggest thing we have to worry about is who's here now."

And based off who we know is here right now, nobody has earned the right to a bigger voice than that old-timer Wan'Dale Robinson. A true sophomore, yes. A veteran by Nebraska's wide receiver situation, yes.

Our 247Sports national guys already have Robinson on their "20 most irreplaceable players" list. Too much? I wouldn't say so.

In Robinson's case, whatever hype exists has already shown some merit on the film he had during his first act in Lincoln. I could make the argument Nebraska doesn't necessarily win the Northwestern or Illinois games without him. We already saw the dog in him against the Illini, when he basically asked coaches to keep feeding him in the second half. And he ate well that night. Catching it, running it, taking big hits and getting up for more. Husker fans seemed to know then this was different than some previously hyped recruits who didn't have the game to match.

Connected somewhat to that load he carried that night, there were not many games when he was fully healthy in 2019, Robinson told us in March.

He still had 453 receiving yards on 40 catches, and 340 yards on 88 rushes, scoring five touchdowns. After the Indiana loss, he spoke up about everyone needing to give more, and he had done enough at that point it didn't seem out of turn even coming from a then-true freshman.

"There's still some guys on the team that aren't bought all in with our mentality that Coach Frost is wanting for our team to have for the years to come, and we have to start that now ... Even though, I'm a freshman I'm still trying to get in the older guys' heads," Robinson said then.

He'd be the first to say last year was just a tease of what he thinks he can do.

He knows one of the biggest pieces for him comes down to staying healthy, which is why Nebraska's hopefully improved running back depth (with Dedrick Mills, Rahmir Johnson, Ronald Thompkins, Sevion Morrison, Marvin Scott III, and also walk-on John Bivens just arriving) could have a useful chain reaction. Ideally, it might take a few more hits off both the QB and someone like Robinson, who lined up at running back more last year to help the Huskers in a jam. Like that Illinois game, for example.

Robinson also told us in the spring he learned a few things about protecting his body during that first year of college ball.

"I really didn't get the concept of getting what you can get then getting down or get out of bounds," Robinson said. "I thought it was a little like high school where I could break a lot of tackles, but the Big Ten is a different ballgame. Just being smarter when I get into crowds and knowing that there isn't much you can get and you'll have to save yourself for the next play."

He knows he can play better than he did in 2019 – though he looked pretty good to many watching.

The belief and special talent is there. Good health just needs to accompany it. Heck, maybe that Iowa game was different last year too had Robinson not been so dinged up by that point.

That's old news now. There's a new coach to work with, and Robinson noted how well Lubick and Scott Frost seemed to mesh together even in the first spring practice.

"Him and Coach Frost probably get along better than most people he's ever worked with," Robinson said. "Just being able to put in the game plan and know exactly what is coming in. He's brought in a lot of good stuff in our room. He's added some good stuff and taken out some stuff, too. Everything has been good from what he's brought."

He's got more company now too – newcomers ready to make their mark. Having only played one season, Wan'Dale could be in mentor status for some of those.

During the offseason, a fan tweeted a highlight of Robinson's first catch as a Husker, in which he took a little pass and turned it into about a 32-yard gain. Except, Robinson was flagged for not getting set and the play was erased.

Robinson joked back on social media that he didn't mess up another motion after that one.

Such lessons gained in Year 1 add to the anticipation of what might be in Year 2.

Well done, young man, this offense needed a leader. Will be interested to see who steps up on the defense.
 
Keep blowing your own horn. Must make your lips tired.

I deleted it. It was actually meant as a joke. I been trying to behave, stop arguing with the Iowa trolls and holding back on some of my positivity for our football program (even though I never heard of TOO positive...it’s almost like saying I have to much money).
 
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT