ing to go with Siller as the QB, even though he had
missed a few weeks with a foot injury. The experiment lasted a play, when Siller re-injured the foot,
and left mostly Robinson to try to clean up the mess.
By then, Robinson's psyche was shot. He threw
for only 78 yards against the Wolverines and had
another couple picks in an 11-point loss.
"When you get out there in front of how many
thousand people and don't have success and make
mistakes, it's tough to come back from," Sean Robinson said. "I don't think I handled it well enough or
ever quite regained my confidence at that position
from the stuff that happened freshman year. I'm not
using this excuse, but I felt like I never really had a
chance to go into it."
But Robinson's been given a second football life
now, the result of his switch from offense to deTom Campbell
fense.
Robinson missed the spring game due to injury, but that
The 6-foot-3, 240-pounder will be starting his second
doesn't stop him and his coaches from feeling like he could
season at linebacker in the fall and feels more at home
have a major impact in 2013. The junior wants to improve
his speed this summer. If he does, he could be even better
next year.
Purdue lost 49-0.
Henry tried to give it a go the next week at Illinois,
but the pain proved too much. Robinson came in, with
hundreds of friends and family from his nearby hometown of Springfield in the stands in Campaign, and suffered. He was just 7-of-20 for 52 yards with a touchdown
in the final minute as the Boilers were throttled 44-10.
"He just went from getting little-to-no reps to all
of the sudden getting a few reps the week before the
game," said Robinson's dad, Dave. "He couldn't have
been more unprepared. There wasn't an opportunity to
get settled in.
"It was a bit anguishing. But, by the same token,
Sean and I are of the same mold: Everything is what
it is, and your choice is to make the best of it and do
all you can do. … Sean's a real strong guy and I really
admired him mentally, the job he did under the circumstances."
A full week of first-team reps the following week had
Robinson looking better against the Badgers, whom
Purdue led at the half. But three second-half interceptions — two on tipped passes — led to a Wisconsin
comeback. The QB merry-go-round started up again the
next week against Michigan, with Danny Hope choosGold & Black IllustrateD • volume 23, issue 5
