The People’s Guide To Denard Robinson, Or: How To Get On The Cover Of NCAA 14 In Only Four Games
The story of Denard Robinson at Michigan can be embodied entirely in only four games. When you hear the stories behind these games, everything else Denard Robinson does makes a ton of sense. Would I like to mention Denard Robinson opening his sophomore season by going nearly 1000/1000 in only five games with 15 touchdowns to only 1 turnover as the Wolverines go 5–0? Yes. Would those uninitiated with Denard Robinson be in shock upon reading that statline? Of course they would. But is it the most Denard Robinson thing he’s ever done? Not even close. On the other hand, these four games definitely are.
I. September 5, 2009: Western Michigan @ Michigan
Robinson’s first collegiate game. He had lost the camp battle to fellow freshman Tate Forcier, and was relegated to more of a change of pace or wildcat quarterback. About 11 minutes into the game, he checked in and took his first snap as a Wolverine. It wasn’t the most glamorous of opponents, but The Big House was sold out, the game was on national TV, and at the end of the day, it was the first time a lot of people across the country got to see Denard Robinson play high-level football. On his first play, Robinson fumbled the snap. He picked it up, slipped a tackle, juked out multiple Western Michigan defenders without even touching them, and outran everyone for a 43 yard touchdown. His final stats for that game: 2/4 for 18 yards, 11 rushes for 74 yards and a touchdown. Denard Robinson was here.
II. September 10, 2011: Notre Dame @ Michigan
Michigan and Notre Dame had played each other in football since 1887. They had done so continuously since 1978. It’s one of the oldest rivalries in the sport. Robinson had worked his magic against the Irish in South Bend the previous year, with a school record 87 yard touchdown run plus a two yard touchdown with 27 seconds left giving Michigan the 28–24 win. And while beating Notre Dame on the road was huge, this game might have been bigger. After 84 years in The Big House, the University of Michigan finally installed lights. The program’s first ever night game? Against Notre Dame. It wasn’t pretty at first. By the end of the third quarter, the Irish jumped out to a 24–7 lead. On the first play of the fourth, Robinson scooped up a fumble and took it in from one yard out to cut it to 24–14. A little over four minutes later, Robinson hit Jeremy Gallon for a 14 yard touchdown. 24–21. Finally, with 1:12 to play, Robinson completed the comeback. A screen pass to Vincent Smith resulted in a 21 yard touchdown. 28–24. But they left just a little too much time on the clock. All it took was four plays, and Notre Dame was back on top, 31–28, with only 30 seconds left. After an incompletion, Robinson was out of the pocket on the run and threw a dart to Gallon who took it 64 yards before stepping out of bounds with 8 seconds left on Notre Dame’s 16. Robinson then found Roy Roundtree for the touchdown with 2 seconds left. The desperation lateral failed. 35–31 final. To this day, it’s the latest Notre Dame has ever lost a football game. His final stats for that game: 11/24 for 338 yards, 4 touchdowns, 3 interceptions, 16 rushes for 106 yards and a touchdown. Denard Robinson was legit.
III. November 26, 2011: Ohio State @ Michigan
The Game needs no introduction for how much it means to both programs. If The Game is not within your top three greatest rivalries in college football, I’m gonna have to ask you to step outside so I can talk some sense into you. Since the turn of the millennium, Ohio State has dominated. They’ve only lost twice, and never since 2003. Some games were close, such as 2006 where #1 Ohio State beat #2 Michigan 42–39 despite the hard charging Wolverines comeback. Most were not, such as the previous season, where #8 Ohio State thumped Michigan 37–7. This game was more of the former. While Denard Robinson was, well, we’ll just say not known for his accuracy, today he was laser accurate. He’d have more touchdowns than incompletions. In the first half, he’d have a passing touchdown along with two rushing touchdowns. The problem was that both quarterbacks were playing on freshman mode, Braxton Miller kept up pace with Robinson, and Ohio State would take a 24–23 lead to the locker room. No matter. Robinson would pass for two more touchdowns in the second half, and with less than a minute to go, Miller finally blinked. Courtney Avery picked off a Miller pass, and Michigan had won The Game. This game is still the last time Michigan has beaten Ohio State. His final stats for that game: 14/17 for 167 yards, 3 touchdowns, 26 carries for 170 yards and 2 touchdowns. Denard Robinson was a hero.
IV. January 3, 2012: Virginia Tech vs Michigan
After the season was over, Michigan accepted a bid to the Sugar Bowl. For a program of Michigan’s stature, this shouldn’t be that big a deal. But it was. They used to be a staple of the big bowl games. But their most recent bowl win was four full years prior, against Florida in the Citrus Bowl. Since then, they’ve only appeared in one bowl game, a 52–14 loss to Mississippi State in last season’s Gator Bowl. But I want to focus on those big bowl games. It’s entirely reasonable to assume Michigan would own in the big bowls. Earlier in the millennium, they went to the Rose Bowl three times in four seasons. They went 0–3. In fact, their last win in a big bowl was on the first day of this millennium, a 35–34 win against Alabama in the Orange Bowl. That Michigan team was led by the greatest football player of all time, Tom Brady. But now Michigan was back. And they were led by Denard Robinson. His stats on paper are subpar (barely completing a third of his passes, 1.0 YPC, etc), but due to a pair of passing touchdowns to Junior Hemingway, they couldn’t win without him. In overtime, the ball was taken out of his hands on three consecutive plays, and Brendon Gibbons’ 37 yard field goal was good. Michigan had won the Sugar Bowl over Virginia Tech, 23–20. For the first time since Tom Brady was a young man, the Wolverines had won a big bowl. The Hokies had contained Denard Robinson, they had shut him down, and he still came out on top. His final stats for that game: 9/21 for 117 yards, 2 touchdowns, an interception, 13 carries for 13 yards. Denard Robinson was a legend.
