JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Stopping University of Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson goes beyond limiting the elusive quarterback”s rushing opportunities.
Teams have known that since he started lighting up opponents at the beginning of the season.
Outside of Ohio State, no one has found the right recipe for limiting the nation”s second-most explosive player to Auburn”s Cam Newton.
“Whenever you have a player like that who can change the whole game, it changes everybody”s job,” Mississippi State cornerback Corey Broomfield said Wednesday.
The Bulldogs think they have the right formula: discipline.
While it”s easier said than done, especially against a player of Robinson”s caliber, the Bulldogs defense is banking on a season”s worth of experience against Southeastern Conference talent to carry it in the Progressive Gator Bowl on Saturday.
The Bulldogs (8-4) have faced top-shelf quarterbacks in Newton and Arkansas” Ryan Mallett, and experienced success against both. The Bulldogs fell by three points to Auburn and by seven in double-overtime to the Razorbacks.
Despite Robinson”s explosive ability and record-setting credentials — he”s the first quarterback to pass for 2,000 yards and run for 1,500 in a season — the Bulldogs aren”t fazed by the challenge, said MSU defensive coordinator Manny Diaz, whose defense prides itself on stopping the run and hitting the quarterback.
“First off, nothing is going to intimidate us — we played a laundry list of guys that could have all been invited to New York this year,” Diaz said. “Really what you want when you get back for a bowl game is to feel challenged, because you”re always worried about bowl games with motivation. With us being new, our team is highly motivated.”
Teams” focus on stopping Michigan”s running game has often left them open to big plays in both the passing and running game, making discipline and gap-control pivotal in defending the Wolverines.
Michigan”s method operation is to put opponents in one-on-one situations through its run-pass option through Robinson, which gives him the ability to throw or run while moving in either direction.
It”s a design familiar to MSU head coach Dan Mullen, who has long been an admirer of Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez”s spread offense. He”s even patterned some of his own offense after what Rodriguez ran at West Virginia.
But Robinson, much like former West Virginia quarterback Pat White, is a game-changing player who can beat a scheme designed to stop him.
Broomfield says limiting Robinson comes down to not second-guessing assignments based on what they see pre-snap and once the play begins.
“Have your job in your head before the play,” Broomfield said. “It”s just the fact that everybody”s always focused on the run game, so you see them play-action and everybody”s biting in. The next thing you know he”s behind you and it”s a touchdown.”
For MSU defensive end Pernell McPhee, defending the edge will be critical in allowing teammates to flow to the football. He thinks he has a read on how to diagnose what”s coming his way on Saturday.
“They get him a lot of read-run, pass option deals, and you can tell by how he rolls out by how he”s looking if he”s gonna tuck it and run,” McPhee said. “We”re just gonna focus on containing and playing our defense.”
Diaz and Broomfield both admit to MSU”s defense tapering off toward the end of the season, especially against Alabama and Arkansas, both of which had long scoring plays and cleared 30 points in wins over the Bulldogs.
In both games, tackling and having all 11 players running to the football were trouble spots for a defense that built a reputation for making teams earn their points, often giving up more yards than scores.
If every player follows his assignment Saturday and is in position to make the play, it could go for naught if players fail to bring down Robinson, Diaz said.
“Tackling is the other big concern with bowls because we haven”t tackled a guy in five weeks,” Diaz said. “So those will be the things we will all unfortunately find out together, whether we”ll be ready to tackle in one-on-one situations. They”re going to spread you out and make that a one-on-one game.”
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