Waxahachie Daily Light - AR

[SMU89]

Robinson scores, catches five passes in bowl
By ALEX RILEY
Daily Light sports writer
Published: Friday, December 31, 2010 10:21 PM CST
DALLAS – Not every story ends with a fairytale feeling.

A second half rally by SMU put the team in position to pull out a win in front of a partisan home crowd at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in the Armed Forces Bowl. All the elements for a perfect end to the season were there. Everything, except the necessary points.

Army held the Mustangs at-bay just long enough to squeak out a 16-14 victory and claim the bowl trophy, the school’s first since the 1985 Peach Bowl. The Black Knights led 16-0 at halftime.

“We made more plays in the second half. We made the plays we didn’t make in the first half and we started to get it going but it was a little too late,” said receiver Aldrick Robinson, the standout from Waxahachie.

Somehow, SMU (7-7) survived the first half despite a laundry list of disasters. The Mustangs got a 45-yard reception from Robinson on the first play but struggled from there. That opening drive ended with a fumble return for a touchdown by Army for a 7-0 lead. SMU then missed a field goal, threw back-to-back interceptions, punted and failed to convert on fourth and short to wrap up its seven first half possessions.

Army added a touchdown and field goal to take that 16-0 lead into the locker room. Robinson, one of the senior leaders on the Mustang roster, said there wasn’t much yelling at the half as coaches offered simple teaching points to players on what they needed to do. The lessons didn’t fall on deaf ears.

After forcing an Army punt that pinned the team at the eight-yard line, SMU responded by marching a bowl-record 92 yards in 13 plays for a touchdown. Robinson snared a Kyle Padron pass for an 8-yard score that cut the deficit to 16-7.

That was SMU’s only possession of the third quarter as it consumed six minutes of clock with Army’s run-based offense running out the other nine minutes of play. Once the team got the ball back in the fourth quarter it capitalized again, going 74 yards in 10 plays and scoring on a Darius Johnson 28-yard reception to make it a 16-14 game.

What changed in the second half? From where Robinson stood it was all what SMU did versus what it didn’t do.

“Really (the plays were) there in the first half. Army didn’t change anything we just started converting in the second half,” Robinson said. “We knew that even though we’d been turning the ball over and they got a defensive touchdown we were still in the game. We just went out there in the second half trying to come back but we fell short.”

SMU’s final possession started with 8:15 left in the game as the team went 32 yards in eight plays but stalled at Army’s 30 facing a fourth down and 6 yards to go. The Mustangs trotted out the kicking team for the 47-yard try but watched as the go-ahead points sailed wide left. With 4:05 left, SMU’s defense gave up two third down conversions to the Black Knights to seal the game.

After an abysmal start to the game, SMU’s offense rallied back with 302 passing yards, the bulk of which came from Robinson and Johnson. Johnson, the team MVP for the game, finished with nine grabs for 152 yards and a score. Robinson closed his collegiate career with five catches for 76 yards and score in his final game.

The shared spotlight for the day was fine with Robinson who was thrilled to see someone else step up big in a crucial situation. Johnson, a junior who plans to return next season, joins Cole Beasley, a 1,000-yard receiver, as just two of the highly touted pass catchers the Mustangs bring back next season.

“I see a lot of potential like him (Johnson) and Cole. Darius  winning an MVP today, showing that he can make plays,” Robinson said. “They have another strong receiving corps. … They’re going to be back strong next year.”

For Robinson, it was a final chance to shine in a place he helped revive over the past four years. While the numbers were short of his season averages, Robinson did extend the record he had already rewritten with eight straight games with a touchdown. He finished with 1,301 yards this season, the second-highest single season total in school history. His 14th touchdown also added to the record for most in a single season. For his career, Robinson finishes with 3,314 yards and 30 touchdowns, both of which are second best all-time. His 186 catches are third.

It might not have been the dream sendoff many had hoped but the senior walked away with his head up and eyes forward.

“I feel like I did my job. I feel like my work here is done. I wish it could have went better but it is what it is. Hopefully I can take my game to the next level,” Robinson said.