Blue White Illustrated

In one respect, the accolades have been entirely unsurprising. After all, Robinson laid the groundwork for the 2013 season with a record-setting sophomore year in which he caught 77 passes for 1,013 yards and 11 touchdowns and was named the Big Ten Richter-Howard Receiver of the Year. But viewed another way, his success does seem rather extraordinary. That's because in earning all that recognition last year, he also earned a lot of extra defensive attention. Understanding his own desire to be better than great, Robinson said he relied on the advice of head coach Bill O'Brien, strength coach Craig Fitzgerald, and plenty of teammates in order to outdo himself this past summer. "I know that I had a pretty good year last year, but I'm just trying to get even better and compete at an even more elite level," he said. "That's really where my focus was in the off-season, just trying to be that elite player on the field. "Last year, I was pretty good, I had a pretty decent year, but I tried to continue to push myself, and talk to Coach O'Brien and Coach Fitz about how I could take my game to a totally different level. That's what I really wanted to do. " Statistically, he has. O'Brien said Robinson has repeatedly displayed a rare on-field intelligence that speaks to not only an off-season of hard work, but also a natural proclivity for improvement. "He's a very smart guy. He's very football smart, and he's very smart off the field. He's just an intelligent guy, O'Brien said. " "He really, really worked hard this off season to improve his individual skill set, and so he's another guy… who [has] taken his game to the next level. OPEN MIKE NIGHT O'Brien was all smiles after the Lions' overtime victory vs. Michigan. Steve Manuel ing the weight, too. Though O'Brien has repeatedly praised his kids' resiliency, they have heard the doubters, no one more so than Bill Belton. The junior running back received a career-high 27carries against Michigan, and after the last one – a 2-yard touchdown run that ended the game – he had his own punch-the-sky moment. "It was great. It felt like it was a great burden let off my back, Belton " said. "Everything I went through last year motivates me to be better every day. I see old articles and stuff and what people say. I just have those in "He came back with better knowledge of the offense. He was stronger. He was faster, and he's shown that. " Heading into the Ohio State game, Robinson needed only 379 receiving yards to break Bobby Engram's single-season Penn State record. In addition, he went into that game needing only 1,309 yards to break Engram's career record. The career mark is certainly within reach, but only if Robinson decides to use his senior year. To this point, he has shied away from speaking publicly about his desire for a career in the National Football League. "That's something that I can't really concern myself with too much right now, " he said. "We're just trying to rally around each other and win some games. When the time comes, then I can focus on it and approach it, but I don't want to con- my room and it pushes me to be at my best at all times. " Penn State's locker room is brimming with the same type of attitude, extending all the way to the head coach. Still, the oft-asked question when discussing O'Brien's future – whether or not he loves Penn State – was answered definitively that night at Beaver Stadium. O'Brien loves coaching these players, and they love playing for him. Further, the significance of the moment – the time and place of a game that won't soon be forgotten by any of the 107,844 in attendance – was as tangible as it has ever been. "Winning cures a lot of things. Like saltwater, it cures a lot of ills, " O'Brien said. "This will go a long way for us, hopefully. Our kids feel good about it, and they are a resilient bunch of guys. " A series of obstacles still litter Penn State's path to future success, but in that moment, with his ever-present support system reaching out over the railing to connect with him, O'Brien reached back.

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