MADISON, Wis. -- On an unfortunate night for Penn State, the very first play of its game against Wisconsin was a fateful precursor of what was to come.
It wasn't the fact that quarterback Zack Mills threw a 49-yard pass, or that utility player Michael Robinson made a beautiful catch along the sideline. The telling part was when Wisconsin defensive end Erasmus James charged at Mills from his blind side, leading to a separation of the AC joint in Mills' right shoulder as he was brought to the ground.
That was just the start for James, however, as removing one quarterback from the game was apparently not enough. With 1:43 remaining in the first half, he took out Robinson, who came in to replace Mills, but this time with a more serious consequence. Robinson sustained a concussion in the brutal helmet-to-helmet collision, after which he lay unconscious on the turf for about 10 minutes before an ambulance took him off the field.
Robinson stayed overnight at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics with assistant coach Bill Kenney, and was released yesterday morning, able to walk out of the building unaided. He returned to Penn State after his release and was to be evaluated later in the day by Dr. Wayne Sebastianelli, Penn State's Director of Athletic Medicine.
At the time, however, the severity of the injury was unclear. Trainers brought out stretchers and an ambulance drove onto the field to remove Robinson.
"It was very scary," center E.Z. Smith said. "Even though it wasn't your man that got to him, somewhat you feel guilty because that's your quarterback back there. You don't want anybody, especially your quarterback, to get hit."
The hit counted as a sack for a loss of 9 yards, something with which Robinson's teammates were not pleased.
"The guy would have been suspended and fined in the NFL," Mills said. "In my opinion, he would at least have been fined, if not suspended. That was direct helmet-to-helmet."
As Robinson lay on the field, teammates knelt down in prayer, while Mills anxiously walked over to the spot of the hit to check on his backup. Robinson drifted in and out of consciousness, but had regained consciousness by the time he was removed from the field. A halftime report issued to the team and the media indicated that Robinson was already able to move his extremities.
For defensive coordinator Tom Bradley, the situation brought back unwelcome memories of the Sept. 23, 2000, game at Ohio State in which Adam Taliaferro suffered a spinal injury.
"Seeing that happen to Michael Robinson brought back a lot of bad memories," Bradley said. "Anytime that [rescue] board goes out, as a coach, you get a sickness in your stomach. Michael Robinson's such a great competitor, a great warrior -- to see him on the ground is a tough thing."
After two quarterbacks were removed from the game, the offensive line vowed to pick up its intensity for third-string quarterback Chris Ganter, who came in to finish the game.
"The game has to go on; Mike wouldn't want us laying around," Hunt said. "I'm sure in his head that he was like, 'I hope they play hard.' We just had to go out there and keep fighting, running hard, everybody working hard."
Mills stayed on the sideline for the rest of the game, seemingly helping with the play-calling, though his status was issued as questionable at the half. Trainers attempted to numb his shoulder at halftime, but Mills did not return due to a lack of strength in his right arm.
Mills said that he expects to be back for Saturday's game at the University of Minnesota, though that is not yet definitive. Robinson is listed as doubtful for next Saturday, but will be re-evaluated on a day-to-day basis. True freshman Anthony Morelli, who sits behind Ganter on the depth chart, has seen action in two games this season, but did not play Saturday.
