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Robertson is carrying Villanova in his junior campaign

Andy Talley made sure there were no qualifiers. When the Villanova football coach talked about redshirt junior quarterback John Robertson, Talley unleashed unabashed praise.

Villanova quarterback John Robertson. (Michael Bryant/Staff Photographer)
Villanova quarterback John Robertson. (Michael Bryant/Staff Photographer)Read more

Andy Talley made sure there were no qualifiers.

When the Villanova football coach talked about redshirt junior quarterback John Robertson, Talley unleashed unabashed praise.

"He is the best quarterback in I-AA [now the Football Championship Subdivision] and certainly one of the top five in the country at any level," Talley said matter-of-factly.

At any level?

"He's one of the best quarterbacks in America right now and would start for almost anybody in the country," Talley said. "Nobody can run like him and he's really accurate."

This season Robertson has a 13-to-1 touchdown-to-interception rate for a 7-2 Villanova team that is ranked seventh in the Sports Network FCS Poll.

Kicking woes, including a missed 25-yard field goal with 12 seconds left in regulation of a 27-26 double-overtime loss to Syracuse and a missed PAT in a 10-9 loss Saturday to Richmond, have contributed heavily to the two losses.

In fairness, Robertson is coming off a subpar performance against Richmond. He completed 12 of 25 passes for 139 yards, one touchdown, and one interception and rushed for 65 yards on 22 carries.

Still, the 6-foot-1, 221-pound Robertson remains a viable candidate for the Walter Payton Award, presented to the nation's top FCS player.

Playing with injuries to his hip and left (non-throwing) hand, Robertson has completed 144 of 215 passes for 2,005 yards, 26 touchdowns and two interceptions. He has run for 586 yards and five TDs.

Not bad for someone who didn't have any firm Football Bowl Subdivision scholarship offers coming out of North Jersey's Paramus High.

"I had a decent number of big schools talking to me out of high school, but I was always the next guy," Robertson recalled. He was recruited mainly by Colonial Athletic Association schools.

He did come on strong in his senior year, which included two memorable games. During a 63-56 North I Group 3 playoff loss to Old Tappan, he rushed for 278 yards and seven touchdowns on 31 carries while also completing 21 of 29 passes for 330 yards and a touchdown.

In the season finale the following week (New Jersey teams often have a regular-season game left after the playoffs), Robertson rushed for 385 yards and four touchdowns on 37 carries and completed 9 of 15 passes for 129 yards and two TDs in a 42-38 win over Ridgewood.

"I've never seen a two-game performance like that," said Dan Sabella, who was Robertson's head coach at Paramus, a position he still has today.

Sabella, didn't hesitate when asked if he could have envisioned such staggering collegiate success for Robertson.

"Yes, to be honest with you," he said. "John was a three-year starter for us, and even watching him play freshman ball we thought he would be a really special player."

Robertson redshirted as a freshman at Villanova and it wasn't a pleasant time. "I hated not playing and it was miserable," he said. "I felt when I got my shot I was going to show everybody."

That shot came in the first game of his redshirt freshman year, a 41-10 loss to Temple. Chris Polony started the game, but Robertson entered and threw for 135 yards and ran for 78 yards and a score. He has been in the lineup ever since.

"Chris didn't do anything wrong, but we wanted to take a look at John and John got things going," Talley said. "That is when you saw what he could do with his feet and his arm."

In his three seasons, Robertson has passed for 5,927 yards, 53 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions and run for 3,013 yards and 39 TDs. He led the Wildcats to the FCS playoffs as a freshman and they lost to Stony Brook in their playoff opener. Last year the team slumped to 6-5 and didn't earn a postseason berth.

This season, a playoff bid is very much within range for the Wildcats, who host Towson on Saturday night.

Robertson says he hasn't thought about the next level and apparently neither have the pro scouts to this point. Talley said that his players usually aren't heavily scouted until their senior season.

One frame of reference comes from Penn coach Al Bagnoli, who has faced Robertson three times.

"To see a quarterback like that, I have to go back to the Fitzpatrick kid at Harvard," said Bagnoli, referring to current Houston Texans quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. "Robertson is one of the most dynamic football players we have seen."

One pro scout, who requested anonymity, agreed with Talley that the evaluation will come more next season.

"Robertson is really athletic and competitive as heck and he has improved himself as a passer," the scout said. "He wins and is making plays with his feet and arm, but I don't know if his game translates to the next level, but we'll look more next year."

No matter where his career takes him, Robertson has proved to be much better than simply the "next guy" on so many college recruiters' wish lists.