April 13, 2010
By John Denton
UCFAthletics.com
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ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Athletes usually despise being compared directly to someone else, but in the case of UCF star cornerback Josh Robinson, he welcomes any and all parallels to former Knight great Joe Burnett.
After all, both are dynamic cornerbacks and both had major impacts from just about the first day they stepped onto the football field as freshmen. Both were Freshman All-Americans - Burnett back in 2005 and Robinson in 2009. And whereas Burnett was a dazzling punt and kick returner at UCF before being drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers, Robinson has worked hard this spring to increase his role as a return specialist for the Knights.
And in time the two of them will likely be thought of amongst the finest defensive backs to ever play at UCF.
Rather than shy away from the comparisons to Burnett, Robinson has embraced them and looked to learn as much from his dazzling predecessor as he can.
``I've spoken with him and asked him to show me some of the things that I don't know yet,'' Robinson said. ``I'm always looking to improve and he's a great guy to learn from. Joe Burnett's a person I want to try and model my game after.''
Burnett ranks as UCF's career interception leader with 16, but even he knows that his days atop the record books could be numbered with Robinson in black and gold. The 5-foot-10, 190-pound Robinson tied for the lead among all freshmen in the country in interceptions with six. And considering his ball-hawking play this spring, he could be onto an even bigger season as a sophomore.
Just last Saturday, Robinson ended UCF scrimmage by reading a slant pass to A.J. Guyton and intercepting the pass for a goal line ``win'' for the defense. And there have been plenty of instances this spring where his instincts have helped him make spectacular breaks on the ball for big plays.
``He's like all good corners - they anticipate and they're big-play guys,'' UCF coach George O'Leary said. ``When you are out there on the island you either look like a great one or a dog and he looked great on that play. If the receiver would have run the right route he might have looked like a dog. But he just has great transition speed and he anticipates.''
O'Leary and defensive coordinator Dave Huxtable have been on Robinson to be a more consistent player this spring and next season. Sure, Robinson showed a flair for the dramatic with the six interceptions, but he also got beaten deep a few times, namely by Jordan Shipley in the loss to Texas. The push is for him to be a better all-around cornerback.
``I want to see Josh be more consistent in what he does. He made some plays for us last year, but he gave up some plays too,'' Huxtable said. ``Josh has worked hard this spring at his technique and I've talked to him about being more consistent with his performance on every play. Giving us that big play is nice, but also work on not being stupid and giving up that big play, too.''
Robinson came to UCF as a highly touted recruit and chose the Knights over Michigan, Clemson, Auburn and USF. And he lived up to his reputation early on, winning the starting cornerback job by the third game of the season. He had 11 tackles and a pass breakup at Southern Miss and then intercepted a pass in six of the last nine games.
``Early on, there were a lot of nerves and thinking maybe I couldn't do it, so I was kind of doubting myself,'' Robinson admitted. ``But other players kept working with me and told me to keep working and it clicked. That's something that I have to keep in my mind all the time.''
Robinson's focus throughout the offseason has been trying to make more big plays for the Knights, particularly in the return game like Burnett did from 2005-08. Burnett holds UCF and Conference USA's records for punt return yards, numbers that also could be in jeopardy if Robinson is able to win the job next season.
He worked hard in the weight room on his stamina, hoping to be on the field for punt and kickoff returns in addition to defensively. His max squat rep ballooned to 580 pounds and his arms are noticeably more chiseled this season. And he's usually one of the first UCF players out on the practice field to catch extra punts and kickoffs and get in extra work.
But Robinson stressed that his biggest improvement has been in his mental approach to the game.
``I think I'm better mentally. I'm still working on things athletically like the deep ball and breaking up the three-step ball, but I feel like I'm much further along mentally now than I was,'' he said. ``Coach (Huxtable) stressed to me that if I'm going to be a shutdown corner I have to be a better all-around player. I can make mistakes, but I have to correct them, and that's what I plan to do.''
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John Denton's Knights Insider appears on UCFathletics.com several days a week. E-mail John at jdenton@athletics.ucf.edu.