The tributes flow for Iowa’s Robinson

ANN ARBOR, Mich. - People say a lot of crazy things in the glow of victory.

Maybe Iowa offensive lineman Julian Vandervelde just wanted to make people think. Maybe he was serious. You certainly couldn't blame him for taking the lead in the “Adam Robinson for Heisman” campaign.

Why not?

If the Iowa sophomore running back has more days like the one he put up Saturday at Michigan Stadium, the bandwagon is going to roll with four flat tires.

Robinson rushed a career-high 31 times for 143 yards and two TDs. He caught four passes for 61 yards, including a crucial and mildly heroic 26-yard gain on Iowa's fourth-quarter field goal drive, and totaled a career-high 204 yards of offense.

“Sure, why not?” Vandervelde laughed. “He might not have the numbers that other guys do, but if you look at his production, his toughness, the number of carries he has a game, you look at the fact that he has the entire running game essentially on his shoulders at this point, we're looking for him to be ‘the' running back.”

Robinson is it at running back for Iowa, essentially. You know the story. Brandon Wegher gone. Jewel Hampton has a torn ACL. Marcus Coker is a freshman who missed most of fall camp with a broken collarbone.

Robinson is it, and, so far, Robinson has been more than enough.

“Adam is just a tough football player and he's been that for us for two years,” Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz said. “It's always the first thing I think about when I think about Adam Robinson.

“He makes tough yards running the ball, catching the ball. He has a knack of moving the chains. It was a huge play for us (referring to the 26-yard reception).”

Robinson has eight TDs this season, already three more than he had in all of 2009. He's rushed for more than 100 yards in four of six games. He's scored two or more touchdowns in four games.

“It's just great blocking for a guy like that,” guard Adam Gettis said. “He's a great kid, on and off the field. He's a tremendous football player, and I just love blocking for him. That's why I'm out there blocking my butt off because I know if I stay on a guy, he's going to go out there and take 10 more yards and get that first down. I'm glad he's on my team.”

The “Adam Robinson for Heisman” committee still needs Adam Robinson on the bandwagon.

People say a lot of crazy things in the glow of victory. Robinson has his feet on the ground.

“Not even close,” Robinson said. “There are so many better running backs than me. It's a nice gesture from him, but I don't think that's very probable.”