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Provided that you weren’t living under a rock during Kentucky’s fall football camp this year, you have heard a lot about sophomore wide receiver Dermarco Robinson. He was consistently named as the young guy who would do big things at the receiver position this year.
“I'm most eager to see, probably, Demarco Robinson," Coach Joker Phillips said during the team’s camp. "Again, every time we've been in the stadium, he's made a play. I hope that continues. We need him as a big-play guy."
Two games into the season, Robinson has seen playing time but not enormous numbers so far: three receptions for 16 yards against Louisville and two for 22 against Kent State Saturday.
Some have said Robinson has been overshadowed by other youngsters: Daryl Collins caught seven balls for 64 yards against the Cards, for example, and Demarcus Sweat had his own huge 56-yard touchdown reception this weekend. But to Robinson, none of that matters: it’s all about the team in his eyes.
“I wasn’t really too happy with the first game because we lost but with this game (Kent State) I was just happy that all the guys were scoring,” he said about his production in the first two games of the season. “I couldn’t be happier.”
And “all the guys” certainly were scoring Saturday. Quarterback Max Smith threw passes to ten different receivers against the Golden Flashes, and four of those guys recorded receiving touchdowns: Aaron Boyd, Gene McCaskill, Demarcus Sweat and La’Rod King. The diversity represents just how “spread out” Kentucky’s offense is this year – a talking point among the fans, especially after this game.
“It’s real exciting,” Robinson said. “All the guys are happy because everybody on offense is able to make plays. We spread the ball out and we run the ball. Everybody gets an even share of the pie.”
Part of that generosity on the offense, of course, means that receivers’ individual numbers may suffer. Additionally, it opens up the field enough to give everyone a chance to stand out: one guy may stand out this week (such as Boyd) and the next week, it could be someone completely different.
Regardless of how much Robinson has produced so far after being spoken of so highly in fall camp, the UK coaching staff still believes in the talent of the young guy. And let’s face it: He has plenty of time to prove it.
“I think it’s going to happen for him (Robinsons),” wide receivers coach Pat Washington said. “He’s dynamic in a lot of ways and in a lot of the things he does. The system is based on throwing to the open guy, and if he’s our primary receiver and he’s open, we’ll throw it to him.”
That concept seems simple enough, but being involved in an SEC offense is always a challenge. Robinson, however, has found his niche on the team and is prepared to make big steps in the future.
“The more help, the better,” Robinson said of UK’s 2012 offense and the plethora of talented receivers the Cats have. “We’ve got guys good at all aspects of the game – big guys, small guys, fast guys, guys that are good with the jump ball… I’m one of those small, elusive guys who can make a big play anytime.”
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