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September 14, 2010 Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve heard about the best player in college football the last two weeks: Michigan Quarterback /Runningback / Dominator Denard Robinson. You may have heard he accounted for 502 of Michigan’s 532 total yards of offense against Notre Dame in South Bend, and that he set the record for most total yards in a game, in Michigan’s illustrious history. It was the second time he’d done that in two weeks, in his first two starts! Of course, with success come naysayers, like Drew Sharp, who is a perfectly upbeat normal human being in person, but always finds the dark clouds even on great days when writing for the Free Press. The parallels of 2009 have been drawn, and perhaps rightfully so. Last year Michigan started the season 4-0, only to flame out in a 5-7 disaster. This season Michigan is 2-0, with three weak opponents next on the schedule (UMASS, Bowling Green and Indiana respectively). But this year is different. This year is different, because if karma exists, it is almost certainly on the side of Denard Robinson. I’ve covered Michigan sports more or less full time for over two years now. I’ve met a lot of athletes over that time, and some of them I would characterize as “good guys.” Unfortunately, many of them I would place in the unsavory characters category. There’s no question in my mind however that Robinson is the most humble, most affable and kindest of the hundreds of athletes I’ve interacted with. After the UCONN game, when Robinson was asked what it meant to him that he had set the all-time Michigan total yardage record, topping such greats as Tom Harmon, Desmond Howard, Tim Biakabutuka and many others, he simply said, “I don’t look at the stats.” Everyone in the room laughed, and nobody took him seriously. It sounded like coachspeak, nonsense, empty words. But then he expounded on that, thanking his offensive, lineman, saying that without them, and without the defense’s performance, it wouldn’t have mattered anyhow. Cynic that I am, I thought it was an act. This past week, following his dramatic performance in South Bend, where among other things, he set the record for longest run in Notre Dame Stadium history, he was the same, proving my skepticism unfounded. Asked about that 87 yard run, his response was, “ahhhhh” as his signature electric smile lit up the room, “Roy made a great block on that play.” It was true, without the great pancake block by wideout Roy Roundtree (also a bright ball of charisma that never lacks a smile), Robinson probably would not have scored the touchdown. But to mention that block as his first and most important memory of the run speaks volumes. I doubt Notre Dame TE Kyle Rudolph, who caught a 95 yard touchdown pass in the game, first and foremost thanked his offensive lineman for giving his quarterback time to deliver the ball, when asked about the play. When Denard scores a touchdown, he immediately kneels to give thanks, then tosses the ball to the referee. Many players do this, but with Denard, it’s not an act. Exhibit A is this Big Ten Network interview. You’d think he plays for Notre Dame, with all the thanks he gives to God! Whether you’re a Spartan, a Wolverine, or God-forbid, even a Buckeye, it is impossible not to like Robinson. He’s genuine, he’s charismatic, and most importantly, he’s humble, despite having the two best games that perhaps a Michigan Wolverines has ever had- in back to back games! If you take the time to know him, you’ll be hoping that there are a lot more of these moments for Robinson in the future. Even setting aside my Michigan fandom, if that’s possible, I know I am. (c) 2010 Novi
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