The Nebraska football wide receiver is ready to compete against Northwestern.
It’s Northwestern week, and for wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson, it’s his second look at the Wildcats. They say you never get a second chance to make a good first impression. He certainly made a good first impression last season.
As many of you may recall, Robinson had seven catches for 123 yards and 44 rushing yards on the ground. He was a huge reason why Nebraska football won that game. Had he not been in that game, he probably would’ve looked a little bit different.
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Now in a new role, Robinson will look to have the same amount of impact did in 2019. Even still, he remains focused and humble. As he can attest to, Northwestern is a team that is tough and gritty. They will not let you take things for granted.
This year, Northwestern has played well on the defensive side of the football. They have allowed 250 yards per game, and are ranked 14th nationally against the pass defense. Although the Wildcats are undoubtedly stronger on defense, those numbers indicate that Nebraska football will be able to find some cracks defensively. Robinson should be able to play a big part in busting the cracks wide open.
In speaking to the media on Monday Robinson knows the wide receivers will have to get better. After not getting much production from the position in the team’s last game against Ohio State, they should be able to play a role on Saturday.
Especially if they can get open downfield, that could be beneficial for Martinez. If Nebraska can open up the offense, it could be a long day for Northwestern.
"“I mean, we can definitely get better in all areas,” Robinson said during the Zoom call on Monday. “Getting open on more routes, obviously. Then letting us do a little bit more in the passing game just to get up more open. We know that we can compete, and the young guys know that they have to do their things in practice just to get on the field to compete on the field.”"
Last season, Robinson put up big numbers against the Wildcats. It was partly because he had to. Nebraska did not have many explosive playmakers on that side of the football. This year, it may be a little bit of a different story. Robinson should still figure to be in the equation offensively, but he will not have to carry the load.
What will he do for a second act? It should be fun to see how he performs Saturday. Hopefully, he will be able to be more involved with the offense. When Robinson gets involved, good things happen.