LINCOLN — A week ago, everyday contributors to Nebraska's offense had sketchy knowledge of Dontrayevous Robinson's on-the-field attributes.

Robinson joined the program last summer. By the end of August, the true freshman was added to the scout team, on track to spend his first season pounding the top NU defense as a redshirt running back.

But Robinson entered the team's top rotation of I-backs last week, a not-so-subtle indication that he could be relied on come game time. And none of his teammates on the first-team offense really knew what to expect.

“From what we saw in practice, he's shown he's a pretty good player,” junior tight end Mike McNeill said. “But as far as how it could translate to Saturdays, I didn't really know how it would work out.”

Early indications are that Robinson has little trouble carrying over his practice habits to the game.

Making his debut as an I-back at the collegiate level, Robinson carried the ball 15 times and totaled 77 rushing yards against Iowa State last weekend. He scored the Huskers' lone touchdown in the first quarter.

Robinson did fumble once, succumbing to the puzzling trend of blunders that day. But for the most part, he displayed the type of hard-nosed running style that assistant coach Tim Beck has witnessed since practices began.

“I knew he's tough. I knew he'd compete,” Beck said. “(He's) a tough kid physically, mentally. I knew he'd compete really hard, and he did.”

Robinson, who was unavailable to the news media until Saturday, has since declined interview requests.

His teammates and coaches aren't hesitating to talk about him, though. He made a positive impression with his performance Saturday.

Sophomore left tackle Marcel Jones likes the way Robinson approached the game. The 6-foot-1, 215-pound freshman from Euless, Texas, runs with assertiveness, Jones said.

“I hadn't really seen his moves because he was over there on scout team for a little while,” Jones said. “It was pretty exciting to see him go in there and hit a few people, drag a few people.”

That downhill style comes naturally to Robinson, one reason Beck inserted him into the game.

On their second drive, the Huskers brought in two tight ends and a fullback on third down and 1, hardly disguising their intentions. Yet Robinson caught an option pitch from quarterback Zac Lee and gained 7 yards.

He was in the backfield for the team's next short-yardage situation, too, this one coming inside the 10. And after a botched running lane recognition on his first carry, Robinson powered in for the score on second down.

“The play before we ran the same play and the same hole was there. He was just late making the cut,” Beck said. “He ran a little high and he got tripped up and gained 2 yards instead of scoring a touchdown. The next time he saw it, he hit it and he had his shoulders down.”

It's instances like those that are promising to the coaches. Young players often make mistakes, but handling those slip-ups properly is critical to their development.

As effective as Robinson was Saturday, Beck said there were times that the youngster surveyed for too long or didn't make the correct read. And there are plenty of blitz packages Robinson's never seen.

So Beck's message? Good start, but keep improving.

“He'll get better as things go on,” he said. “He's still really raw and learning a lot of stuff.”

Contact the writer:

402-473-9585, jon.nyatawa@owh.com