Running it back
Homecoming was last week for the Aggies, but Utah State wide receiver and Fresno native Kevin Robinson will be returning home to Fresno, Calif., to play in front of friends and family and against some familiar faces.
Robinson was raised down the street from Bulldog Stadium, which is “maybe two lights down the street and its right by my elementary school,” he said. Even though Robinson lived in the shadow of the stadium, he has yet to play a game there.
Not only will it be his first game at Bulldog Stadium, it will be the Aggies’ first game against Fresno as a member of the Western Athletic Conference. The Bulldogs have been near the top of the conference for the past five years, with only Boise State having more wins over that span.
It could be a game of firsts, especially since those have seemed to follow Robinson around the past couple weeks. Last Saturday against UNLV, he returned his first punt for a touchdown this season and caught two more receptions for his first ever three-touchdown game.
“Not seventh grade, not high school, not nothing,” Robinson said of his previous three touchdown games. “This is my first time ever.”
After his stellar freshman campaign, Robinson was the focus of defenses in the first two games of the season, catching just four passes for 30 yards and a touchdown.
In an effort to get Robinson the ball more often as the season has progressed, Robinson has become a featured runner on occasion, transforming him from a return man/wide receiver into the Ted Ginn of the West.
With all the different ways the coaching staff has penciled Robinson into the game, he is leading the WAC in all-purpose yardage, averaging 143 yards a game.
Against UNLV and San Jose State, Robinson has led the Aggies in rushing with 29 and 46 yards. He scored on a reverse against UNLV and caught a touchdown pass against Idaho.
In the last two games for the Aggies, Idaho and San Jose State, Robinson has caught eight passes for 133 yards and three touchdowns. Touches and opposing defenses are what have made the difference, Robinson said.
“They tried to stop me and [Tony Pennyman] had big games,” Robinson said of opposing defenses. “Then they doubled him and I have had good games.”
“You’ve got to play within the scheme. If Penny gets a lot of touches and we come out with a win, I’m fine with it,” he said.
Having Pennyman on the opposite side of the formation and at his side on returning kicks has given the Aggies a double-headed attack not only on offense, but special teams as well.
Pennyman returned a kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown against UNLV and, thanks in large part to that score, he is leading the nation in kickoff return average with 44.5 yards per return.
When Pennyman didn’t play against Utah in the season opener, the Ags were held to 95 yards in the air.
In the last three games, Pennyman has caught 22 passes for 242 yards and a touchdown.
The two-headed receiving attack for the Ags will help out Robinson’s return to Fresno as the team looks to make it a good homecoming for more reasons than family and friends.
The anxiety of the game isn’t too much for Robinson, though. With the familiarity of the stadium, the crowd noise and the environment, he said he’s “not too scared about it.”
Robinson estimated he knows between 20 to 25 players on Fresno’s roster since the Bulldogs recruit a lot of locals.
-How, then, wasn’t Robinson picked up?
“They recruited my friend [and current Fresno linebacker] Ahijah Lane and then they came after me a little later and I decided to come up here,” Robinson said.
It didn’t hurt that his brother John Rushing coached at Utah State at the time and is now the cornerbacks coach on Utah State Head Coach Brent Guy’s staff.
Returning to Fresno isn’t just a homecoming wish come true, it is exactly what Robinson wants.
“I get to see my family and I get to play against some high school friends,” he said. “There’s nothing like it.”
-krn@cc.usu.edu
Utah State receiver Kevin Robinson avoids being tackled by San Jose State´s Christopher Vedder. Robinson caught two touchdown passes, ran a punt return back for a third and led USU in both rushing and receiving yards in the Aggies´ 24-17 win over the Spartans Saturday at Romney Sradium.