After the final horn sounded on Saturday's trouncing of Minnesota, Michael Robinson added an exclamation point to a performance that won over yet another group of his doubters.

The senior had proved to Joe Paterno that he deserved to be the starting quarterback in the offseason.

He proved the same to his teammates with his work ethic and maturity.

He had even won over most of the Penn State media with his gutsy last-second heroics at Northwestern a week earlier.

The only people left to convince were the fans, and when Robinson climbed the bleachers in front of the student section and whipped the faithful there into a frenzy, it was obvious that his last major group of detractors had been won over.

Robinson cut an intimidating picture, perched on the top rung of the on-field bleachers flexing and screaming into a sea of blue and white -- all tattoos, and muscles and attitude -- and that is why he is the perfect leader for this year's Penn State team.

It wasn't Robinson's statistics that won over the Morelli-ites in the crowd yesterday -- and there were plenty. Instead, it was his toughness and attitude that convinced at least the student section that keeping the prep stud on the sidelines for one more year might not be such a bad idea.

Robinson ran with a bruising style not often seen from a quarterback and made it clear that he was much more interested in dishing out punishment than he was in taking it.

Brandon Owens probably won't forget that anytime soon.

The Golden Gophers safety got knocked out of the game in the second quarter after being completely blown up by Robinson on a play that would have given Owens a kill shot on most quarterbacks.

Heck, most quarterbacks would have just tiptoed out of bounds.

"Mike is not most quarterbacks," Matthew Rice said after the game.

That's quite an understatement.

Robinson is not your father's, or grandfather's, Penn State quarterback, and this year's team is certainly not your father's Penn State team.

Robinson is more Rashard Casey than Chuck Fusina and, in some ways, this year's team is more Miami than it is Penn State.

"We are very humble," Rice said yesterday. "It's not like we are just running out thinking we are the best thing to hit the Big Ten."

Maybe not, but humble is not the first word that comes to my mind when I think about this team, and you know what? Good riddance.

The Nittany Lions still have the prototypical Penn State player in blue-collar, all-business linebacker Paul Posluszny, but the team still has a swagger, attitude and desire to intimidate that has been lacking from recent editions of Penn State football.

Rice gave Minnesota some bulletin board material early last week when he said of the Gophers' Laurence Maroney, "I know he is a very talented running back, but we are going to see about the Heisman hype Saturday."

These are pretty strong words, and Paterno probably didn't approve, but even he said in the offseason that Penn State had lately been missing the attitude and confidence that it once had.

He has gotten that attitude from a variety of places.

Freshman wideout and anointed savior of the Penn State nation Derrick Williams certainly isn't lacking in confidence.

"I'm never gonna look down on myself, and I think I'm a great football player," he said after last weekend's game-winning touchdown. "I knew that if I get the opportunity to shine, I will shine."

On Saturday, even walk-on receiver Ethan Kilmer got into Maroney's face after slamming him to the ground on a kickoff.

But no player does more to define the attitude of the team than Robinson, and his is a personality that Penn State has sorely been lacking.

"He had a great game, man," Rice said, "I'm not even going to put a limitation on what he's gonna do next week; it's gonna be a real good game."

It's shaping up to be, and, though it's unlikely that the Lions will be as outspoken about Ohio State as they were about Minnesota, thanks to Robinson, they will step on to the field next Saturday night fully expecting to win.

Minnesota coach Glen Mason wouldn't be surprised. He made his thoughts on Robinson clear on Saturday.

"The biggest difference [between this year and last year] was Michael Robinson," Mason said. "How he runs the show, the whole deal there. And you know the best thing about Robinson? He's a senior."