Former Cedar Crest standout Tobias Robinson plays running back for IUP, which is set to play Millersville on Saturday. You can hear my Podcast interview with the former Falcons’ burner here!
Talk about making a comeback.
After missing all of last season while rehabbing a broken leg, Indiana (Pa.) running back Tobias Robinson made a triumphant return to the Crimson Hawks’ lineup last Saturday.
In IUP’s 41-0 victory against C.W. Post, the former Cedar Crest High School standout rushed for 178 yards on just 14 carries – 12.7 yards per pop – and his 85-yard touchdown jaunt in the third quarter was the second-longest touchdown run in the history of IUP’s storied football program.
Robison, a 5-11, 190-pounder, received a medical redshirt after missing all of last season, and the sophomore-eligible has three full seasons to compete for the Crimson Hawks – who are set visit Millersville for a PSAC East/West crossover game on Saturday.
I caught up with Robinson via telephone interview this week, and he filled me on his injury, his rehabilitation, and his dynamite opener against C.W. Post last Saturday – and also chatted about MU, and what it means to be coming back to the area this weekend.
To listen to my interview with Robinson, kindly click on the ‘play’ button above.
You can also download the Podcast to play on your favorite mp3 device by clicking here.
And please continue reading for my MU-IUP preview grid below …
THE GAME: Indiana (Pa.) (1-0) at Millersville (0-2), Saturday, 1 p.m., Chryst Field at Biemesderfer Stadium, Millersville.
ONLINE: MSBN (www.millersville.edu/~athletic). Domenic Panza will call the action with Matt Majewski on color commentary.
THE SERIES: IUP leads 8-5, in a series that dates back to 1988. The first meeting was actually in the NCAA Division 2 playoffs, and MU won that game 27-24. It was the first playoff victory for the Marauders. … IUP won 38-0 in 1990 and 47-0 in 1991. … MU’s first regular-season win over the Crimson Hawks was in 1999 (10-9). … IUP has won six of the last 10 meetings, including last year’s 45-0 win – the most lopsided score in the series.
LAST WEEK: MU fell to Slippery Rocky 28-24 in the Marauders’ home opener, falling to 0-2 overall. This is the third year in a row MU has opened its season 0-2. … IUP opened its season with a 41-0 rout over C.W. Post, piling up 459 yards of total offense.
GOOD TO SEE YOU OLD FRIEND: When IUP invades MU on Saturday, Crimson Hawks’ coach Lou Tepper and Marauders’ coach Greg Colby will have a happy reunion. Tepper and Colby worked together on the University of Illinois staff from 1988-1995. Both coaches came on board with the Illini in 1988, and Tepper was named head coach in 1991. … At Illinois, Tepper and Colby coached in six bowl games, and coached a pair of future NFL Pro Bowl players – Kevin Hardy and Simeon Rice.
THE COACHES: MU’s Greg Colby is in his first season with the Marauders (0-2). He served as defensive coordinator for Northwestern University from 2002-2007 before coming to MU. … IUP’s Lou Tepper took over in 2006, and the Crimson Hawks are 17-5 under his watch, including a 9-3 mark last year, when IUP made it to the second round of the NCAA Division 2 playoffs. Tepper is 82-62-2 overall, including a 25-31-1 mark at Illinois (1991-1996) and a 40-26 record at Edinboro (2000-2005). Tepper, a Rutgers grad, has been the PSAC West Coach of the Year in three of the last four years.
MU SCHEDULE/RESULTS: 8-29 @ Bentley (L, 35-22), 9-6 Slippery Rock (L, 28-24), 9-13 IUP, 9-20 @ West Chester, 9-27 @ Shippensburg, 10-4 Bloomsburg, 10-11 Cheyney, 10-18 @ C.W. Post, 10-25 @ Kutztown, 11-1 East Stroudsburg, 11-8 @ Edinboro.
IUP SCHEDULE/RESULTS: 9-6 @ C.W. Post (W, 41-0), 9-13 @ Millersville, 9-20 Lock Haven, 9-27 @ Cal, 10-4 Slippery Rock, 10-11 @ Edinboro, 10-18 Mercyhurst, 10-25 Clarion, 11-1 @ Gannon, 11-8 Kutztown.
ABOUT MILLERSVILLE: Marauders dropped a tough one last week against Slippery Rock, when Ryan Lehmeir had a 13-yard TD run with 22 seconds to go to lift SRU to a 28-24 win on a rainy day at Chryst Field at Biemesderfer Stadium. Lehmeir rushed for 201 yards. … MU’s special teams scored 17 points against The Rock, including a 47-yard punt return for a score by Andy Tischbein in the second quarter, and Derrick Bass scooped up a muffed punt for a TD in the fourth quarter for the Marauders. … McCaskey grad John Banzhof booted a 41-yard field and averaged 42.6 yards on nine punts against SRU. He put five of those inside the 20. … LB Jerrod Bowling had a career-high 16 tackles, including 1 ½ sacks, against SRU. It was the most tackles in a game by an MU player since Joe Hollister had 17 against Shippensburg on Sept. 18, 2004. … LB Matt Harmon had a career-best 10 tackles against The Rock. … MU had just eight first downs, and with the wet conditions, QB Jamal Smith completed just 4-of-10 passes for 22 yards. … Freshman RB Matthew Booker rushed for a career-high 78 yards on 12 carries to spark MU’s ground attack against The Rock. Booker leads the team with 121 rushing yards in two games. … MU has rushed for at least 100 yards in 12 games in a row. … Marauders started 0-3 in 2001 and in 2002, but the team has started out 0-3 just five times since 1957. And there, my friends, is your MU stat of the week.
ABOUT IUP: Despite playing just one game, the Crimson Hawks lead the PSAC in total offense, scoring offense, scoring defense, kick returns, punt returns, turnover margin and field goals. … Picked to finish second in the PSAC West race behind Cal. … Returned 15 starters from last year’s team – eight on D. … QB Andrew Krewatch got off to a hot start against C.W. Post, clicking on 14-of-26 passes for 241 yards and two scores – both to reigning PSAC All-Star Ken Witter, from 85 and 27 yards out, respectively.
L-L LEAGUE CONNECTION: Robinson has one Lancaster-Lebanon League teammate on the Crimson Hawks’ roster – former McCaskey standout Ceasar Westbrook, who is a 6-0, 190-pound sophomore reserve linebacker for IUP. … Robinson’s teammate at Cedar Crest, Nick Kyper, is Millersville’s starting center.
THE PICK: IUP is pretty stinking good, and Robinson – fresh off a 178-yard effort – is coming home to play in front of his family and friends. I like the Crimson Hawks here, 35-14.
