Nebraska Football: Wan’Dale Robinson wants to play smarter

LINCOLN, NE - OCTOBER 5: Wide receiver Wan'Dale Robinson #1 of the Nebraska Cornhuskers reacts to a missed reception against the Northwestern Wildcats at Memorial Stadium on October 5, 2019 in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images)
LINCOLN, NE - OCTOBER 5: Wide receiver Wan'Dale Robinson #1 of the Nebraska Cornhuskers reacts to a missed reception against the Northwestern Wildcats at Memorial Stadium on October 5, 2019 in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images) /
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He should be able to make an impact for Nebraska football next year.

I’m so happy that Wan’Dale Robinson is only a sophomore. He meant so much to the Nebraska football offense, and he should undoubtedly have a huge 2020 season.

Nebraska football will undoubtedly be counting on him to have a major impact. The program will surely have more weapons at their disposal heading into next season, so the desire for Robinson to get the football more is not due to lack of weapons. Rather, he is just that good.

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453 receiving yards and 340 yards on 88 carries were just some of the things that he did last year. I vividly remember the Illinois game as a breakout one for him. He showed exactly why he was such a coveted recruit for Nebraska football. I don’t expect that to change heading into 2020. If anything, I’d expect him to be even better.

Robinson will no longer be the wide-eyed freshman looking to make himself stand out. He will have had a year with Frost and will probably know the playbook even better.

With so much speed and talent available for Nebraska football, I personally am excited for 2020. This is going to be an interesting year. Obviously, I want to see development from the roster and for the program to take a step forward in Scott Frost’s third year. However, they have a challenging schedule.

One of the things Robinson wants to do better is to step out of bounds and avoid less contact. This would certainly make sense for him. I can recall a couple times when he got hit hard last year. With how many snaps he will probably get in this offense, and how often he will be exposed to hungry linebackers and defenders, this is a smart move. If he can run out of bounds and save his body just a little bit, then that will certainly work in his favor. Measuring in at 5-foot-9, he may take harder hits than others.

"“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.”"

Learning comes with experience, and Robinson will have that. If he can save his body from getting hit a ton, then that will certainly be helpful. Nebraska is going to need him. Whether or not Nebraska has more playmakers, he is still undoubtedly someone that makes offense run smoothly. Heading into his sophomore year, he is going to need to help carry the load for Nebraska.