Temple following Robinson's lead

WHEN DEFENSIVE end Adrian Robinson first arrived at Temple 3 years ago, he told his teammates that one day he would lead their team.

"Everybody laughed at me then," Robinson said. "But, today, it seems like it's really happening."

Now, as the senior co-captain of a talented, young team coming off a 42-7 rout of Villanova in the Mayor's Cup, Robinson's ambitions are as high as ever.

"We only get 12 shots, and we really want to do something special as a senior class," he said. "The classes before us have had a lot of glory, but I feel that we can make so much more."

With 17 1/2 sacks and 104 tackles over three seasons, the 6-2, 250-pound Harrisburg native has been a key piece in one of the most remarkable turnarounds in college football. In 2009, Robinson helped lead the Owls to their first bowl game in 30 years and was named Mid-American Conference defensive player of the year as a sophomore with 13 sacks.

"Adrian has been a leader by example," said senior defensive end Morkeith Brown, also from the state capital. "If something needs to be done, he gets it done, and that's the kind of guy I want to compete with on the field. He's going 100 percent all the time."

Last season, Robinson was not nearly as productive with only 3 1/2 sacks but he often stepped up when his teammates needed him. His 24-yard fumble return for a touchdown against UConn lifted the Owls to their first win over a BCS opponent since 2004.

Since that victory, however, the Owls were snubbed out of a bowl game and head coach Al Golden departed for Miami. But Robinson trusts that new coach Steve Addazio and his staff will take the Owls to the next level.

"With all the work that Al [Golden] put in, he did a tremendous job," Robinson said. "But if you look at this year and how much things have changed with the new coaching staff, I love how we're doing things nowadays."

Robinson believes in Addazio and the coach has shown mutual admiration for Robinson.

"Adrian is a real factor. He's a disrupter, and that leads to someone else getting a sack or making a tackle," Addazio said. "Those plays would not have happened had he not been as disruptive as he was, and I expect that to continue."

Never was it more evident than last Thursday against Villanova, in a game that Robinson did not record a sack or a single tackle but still managed to create mass chaos in the Wildcats' backfield.

"He played relentless," Addazio said. "He was flushing the quarterback out of the pocket and chasing him around like a crazy man."

Robinson hopes to follow former teammates Muhammad Wilkerson (Jets) and Jaiquawn Jarrett (Eagles) into the NFL next season. If not, he will pursue a career in communications. Either way, his presence will be missed on North Broad Street.

Fortunately for Temple, another Robinson will take his place.

Adrian's younger brother, Averee, a 6-2, 260-pound defensive tackle at Susquehanna Township High School, recently committed to the Owls as a member of the 2012 recruiting class.

"Because I know what kind of person he is, and of course, because he's my little brother, I'm ecstatic about it," Robinson said. "It's really funny how he's always followed me everywhere. I know he's going to continue to follow in my footsteps and make his own footsteps as well."

As for his own legacy, Robinson is poised to cement his place in Temple football history by attempting to earn first-team All-MAC honors for the third consecutive season. He is the most experienced senior on a defense equipped with several new faces, and his leadership this season will define his career.

Although he is focused solely on a road trip to Akron this weekend, no one, including Robinson, can ignore that Penn State's visit to Philadelphia is less than 2 weeks away.

"You have to be crazy coming in and not knowing Penn State is Pa.'s team. We've come close but never gotten them," Robinson said. "If we can beat them, it will really mean more than any game I've ever played."