What a long strange trip it's been. And it keeps getting stranger for one Penn State football player.

Utility man Michael Robinson started the season against Temple as the Lions' running back and punt returner. Only a few games later he was relegated to strictly the No. 2 quarterback spot behind starter Zack Mills.

Now the redshirt sophomore is once again spending time in the backfield, not as a quarterback, but as a running back.

The problem now, it seems, is that Robinson feels there are a couple of players on the sidelines who are better than him at tailback -- namely, Austin Scott and Tony Hunt.

"I don't think I'm a better tailback than Austin or Tony," Robinson said. "I don't feel I'm a better tailback at all. Right now, I might be the best fit, but I certainly don't think I'm a better tailback."

Hunt and Scott's absences from last week's game against Northwestern baffled most observers of the 2003 Penn State football team. Scott, for instance, not only leads the team in rushing touchdowns with five, but also is the team's leader in rushing yards with 394.

"I'm a little more patient than those guys, but that's probably because I've had a little more experience than them," Robinson said.

One of the main paradoxes of the entire situation revolving around who should be starting at tailback is the notion of preparing for next season. One of Penn State football coach Joe Paterno's main contentions as to the reasoning behind many of this season's woes is the inexperience of the squad.

Both Hunt and Scott are true freshman who many feel could benefit immensely from seeing as much playing time as possible in the last two games of the season.

Robinson himself is one of those proponents.

"I agree, I really think they should get in a little bit more and show what they can do and get some experience," he said. "That's not my call. I think right now [the coaching staff] feels that myself, Zack Mills and Sean McHugh in the backfield at the same time gives

the team the best opportunity to win offensively. That's why they haven't gotten as much playing time."

Sounds reasonable.

However, it was less than a week ago that the Lions went with the same personnel in the backfield and lost to Northwestern. In other words, the question seems to be how much of an opportunity does having Robinson in the backfield provide when the team is losing games to lowly programs like the Wildcats?

Paterno provided some consolation to his frustrated quarterback by openly stating Robinson's pro potential.

Except, it's not at the position Robinson wants to play at.

"He could play tailback in the NFL if that is what he wanted to," Paterno said. "I think he wants to play quarterback and that is where I want to keep him."

When asked yesterday whether he wants to move on to the NFL as a running back, Robinson merely replied 'no.'

"I know that's a short quick answer but I wouldn't want to," he said. "Obviously I would want to play quarterback. My heart is at quarterback."

As for this week, despite the depth chart released by the team that lists Scott as the No. 1 back on the squad, Paterno stated in his weekly press conference on Tuesday that Robinson was indeed the starting tailback.

"I would assume I'm playing the same thing last week," Robinson said. "We'll just see how the game goes. As a competitor I'd be lying if I said I would be satisfied with Zack staying at quarterback and me playing tailback but at the same time I just want to win."