Wan’Dale Robinson saves his best for last in what might be his final game at Kentucky
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Citrus Bowl game day: Kentucky 20, Iowa 17
Click below for more of the Herald-Leader’s and Kentucky.com’s coverage of Saturday’s VRBO Citrus Bowl between Kentucky and Iowa at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla.
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Wan’Dale Robinson didn’t get to play in a bowl game at Nebraska. The Cornhuskers didn’t qualify in either of his two seasons, throughout which he was mostly used as a running back, much to his chagrin.
In his postseason debut — and, likely, his finale — for Kentucky, Robinson had a stat line to remember: 170 yards on 10 receptions, at least half of them ending in bruising tackles, the after effects of which had him grimacing when he sat down and stood up in the postgame press conference following the Wildcats’ 20-17 win over Iowa in the VRBO Citrus Bowl. It was a performance correctly deemed worthy of the bowl’s MVP award.
It was made all the more sweeter that it came against the Hawkeyes, against whom he lost rivalry games, 27-24 and 26-20, as a Cornhusker.
“I have lost to them two years in a row, so this is a little bit more special, especially for the guys that I played with out there,” Robinson said. “Then just personally, I wanted to beat these guys. I wanted to finish out strong with my teammates here. It was just good to get that win. It felt really good.”
Robinson’s final catch — a 52-yarder that saw him hop over an Iowa defender after making him miss a tackle — set up the decisive touchdown scored one play later by Chris Rodriguez. It also gave Robinson possession of UK’s single-season record for receiving yards, which had stood since Craig Yeast claimed it in 1999. He finished the season with 104 receptions, becoming the only receiver in Kentucky history to even hit 100.
“I just came in with the mentality to work and just do everything that I can to help our team win,” Robinson said of his decision to transfer to UK after two seasons in Lincoln, Neb. “And then as time went on, they just started to trust me more and more, and just to do more and more. …
“I am just extremely blessed that they gave me the opportunities to go out there and make plays like I did.”
A healthy debate could be had as to whether his last catch or an earlier one during the final drive was more impressive; he got bludgeoned in the middle of the field and managed to hold onto a ball that extended the Cats’ possession. He was still on the ground for a moment before springing up..
Most anticipate that Robinson will soon declare for the NFL Draft, though the potential of an especially lucrative name, image and likeness deal — or combination of deals — could make his decision, and those of others in his position, more interesting as college football continues to wade in lightly charted waters over the coming years. Pro Football Network calls him “a strong 2022 NFL Draft prospect,” but it’s still too early in the process to know where he might land in mock drafts.
UK offensive coordinator Liam Coen, who was an assistant with the Los Angeles Rams for three seasons before coming to Kentucky, said the NFL’s rules make it easier at times to throw the ball than at the college level. That would seem to favor a guy like Robinson, who thrived as the focal point of UK’s passing attack this season despite not playing alongside other receivers with high upside at the next level.
“He allows all this stuff to work because he’s so smart, he’s so attention-to-detail oriented, that you’re allowed to do things with him that you might not be able to do with the average college kid,” Coen said.
Coen praised Robinson for playing in the game — perhaps a hint to the direction he is leaning as far as his future is concerned — and said he’s supportive of whatever decision he makes about said future. One choice, of course, would be of great benefit to a second-year offensive coordinator looking to ratchet up the offense another notch from the heights it reached in year one.
“He can do whatever he wants if he comes back, man,” Coen said.
Iowa seldom double-teamed Robinson, instead opting to play its defense straight. He was wide-open for his final reception and after catching the ball was able to run about 10 yards to the Iowa 20 before dodging the first defender. He evaded a second one before a third finally tackled him from behind at the 1-yard line.
“We had a shell concept, I believe it was DeMarcus (Harris), he took the corner out and I just kind of went underneath him,” Robinson said of the play. “I got the ball, and once I turned, I saw a corner coming at me and wanted to make him miss and whoever else, was coming, make them miss. I don’t really know how to explain it. It is just more of instincts. You just go out there and do it. I can’t really tell you how to do it or what to do. It is just God-given I guess.”
Another debate will rage on regarding Robinson’s ranking among all of the receivers to ever play at Kentucky. However one weighs that, his name was assuredly in the conversation before Saturday; now he’s a forever fixture. The former Western Hills High School standout was undoubtedly on some folks’ lists from the moment he announced his intention to return home after flipping from the Wildcats back in 2018.
If he was a gridiron one-and-done, he was one to remember.
“It is really hard to describe what he has meant to us,” head coach Mark Stoops said. “He is the ultimate competitor, and he is very selfless. He plays extremely hard. He plays the game for himself, his family, his teammates, this institution, the state.”
This story was originally published January 1, 2022 at 7:14 PM.
