‘This isn’t the same Kentucky.’ Wan’Dale Robinson delivers the goods in homecoming.
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Game day: Kentucky 45, Louisiana Monroe 10
Click below for more of the Herald-Leader’s and Kentucky.com’s coverage of Saturday’s Kentucky-ULM football game at Kroger Field in Lexington, Ky.
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If Wan’Dale Robinson weren’t already satisfied with his decision to leave Lincoln, Neb., for Lexington before Saturday, he certainly had to be after it.
Robinson reeled in just five catches in his UK debut, but he turned them into a career-high 125 yards in Kentucky’s 45-10 season-opening win over Louisiana Monroe. Two of those grabs ended in touchdowns, equaling his season total from a year ago at Nebraska. He never even had to line up once in the backfield, a task asked frequently of him when he was playing for the Cornhuskers.
“I’m not getting hit by 300-pound people,” Robinson said with a laugh. “It’s lovely. I like being out there playing receiver and doing those things.”
It was a homecoming for Robinson, who originally committed to UK but signed with Nebraska in the early signing period as part of the 2019 recruiting class. He was a Mr. Football winner out of Western Hills High School in Frankfort, which is about 25 miles northwest of Lexington.
Most of his family members were able to watch him play in person for the first time since he has been in college.
“I had tons of people texting me before the game,” Robinson said. “Even people I hadn’t talked to in years, they were like, ‘We’re coming just because of you and duh duh duh.’ It’s just nice to see all the people from Frankfort that have taken me in and always wanted to see me do well. It’s been nice.”
Robinson caught the first completion of Will Levis’ Kentucky career, hauling it in for a wide-open 33-yard touchdown. His longest conversion was for 62 yards; a defender collapsed on him quickly after but he fought for a moment to try and get a couple more yards.
The former Wolverine showed off his physicality again a few plays later when Levis found him on a slant that resulted in a 15-yard score. Robinson plowed through a Warhawks defensive back to get the extra couple yards needed to hit pay dirt.
“I’m used to it,” Robinson said. “I see that end zone and I’m gonna do whatever I have to do to get into it. If that’s lower my shoulder or making somebody miss, I’ll do whatever I gotta do.”
It wasn’t an ideal outing; Robinson early in the game muffed a punt that nearly resulted in a turnover, and he had to exit briefly after his second score after getting cut on his forehead. He was evaluated for a concussion following that play but was cleared.
But, as far as homecomings go, it couldn’t have gone much better. Robinson was integral to a revived passing attack that racked up 419 yards, the most by a UK offense since 2014.
“We wanted to show people that this isn’t the same Kentucky that’s not gonna throw the ball,” Robinson said. “We wanted to come out and say, ‘You gotta respect us.’”
This story was originally published September 4, 2021 at 5:20 PM.
