He was once a tailback, wide receiver, punt returner and quarterback all in one. Now, Michael Robinson is just a quarterback.

Among the changes in Penn State's offense on Saturday was the removal of Robinson from a slew of plays, allowing the redshirt sophomore to focus on his role as the No. 2 quarterback behind Zack Mills and adding some consistency to an already struggling offense. The compromise was that Robinson's playing time was substantially reduced.

Penn State football coach Joe Paterno indicated after the game that he would continue to utilize Robinson in a quarterback rotation. However, the rotation would not be defined by a set designated number of plays. Whenever his services are needed, Robinson will go in at quarterback.

"I have mixed feelings," Robinson said. "I am a competitor. I want to go in there and get the ball. Just playing quarterback and rotating like we did [Saturday], sometimes you get on the sideline and you get a little antsy, but at the same time, I can come in and be fresh and make things happen."

Robinson went 2-for-9 for 29 yards and rushed the ball for 20 yards against Kent State.

The implications of keeping Robinson on the bench are two-fold. Earlier in the season, Paterno said that his No. 2 quarterback was too good of an athlete to keep off the field. Few disagreed.

In response, in the Lions' season opener against Temple, Robinson had the duties of starting tailback along with starting punt returner. He saw a bulk of the playing time at both positions up until Saturday's game. This transition seemed fitting early on because of Robinson' run-first, throw-second mentality, as his style has been compared to current Atlanta Falcons' quarterback Michael Vick.

"I miss the attention [the media] gives for being that slash guy," Robinson said. "I'm a quarterback and that's what I like to do."

However, the move greatly reduces the risk of Robinson getting hurt on the field, and provides a greater sense of security in the event that Mills is injured during the course of a game.

"I think the big decision we have to make is whether we are going to continue to make Michael Robinson half a half back and half a quarterback," Paterno said. "I came back from Lincoln and said that we have to get some people established doing some things. We can't afford to take Michael out of quarterback fully. We will continue to play both. We have two good kids and I am going to continue to play them when I feel it's appropriate."

Paterno also has the task of keeping Robinson happy with his new role. Robinson said he wants to do what is best for the team, but also said he has the competitive nature to want to be on the field as much as possible. Paterno also said that fans can still expect to see Robinson in at wide receiver or tailback given certain circumstances, but not nearly as frequent as earlier this season.

"I'm happy but obviously I would want more drives," Robinson said. "Sometimes during the course of the game that's how things go. A lot of times I don't even know I'm going in. I think it was great for me to get in there and make things happen though."

Drawing conclusions this early in the season is difficult, especially regarding Robinson's status with the offense. The Lions' had their best offensive output with 410 total yards against the Golden Flash on Saturday, with Robinson's on field participation at a minimum. Then again, Penn State went up against its weakest opponent of the season.