This guy really does leave it all on the field

MOSCOW - No one plays football harder than Idaho senior middle linebacker TreShawn Robinson.

When coaches speak about leaving it all on the field, Robinson not only takes it to heart, he takes it all the way to the hospital.

With the 2010 Vandals on the verge of falling to nationally ranked Nevada by more than 40 points, the Vandals' hard-hitting middle linebacker refused to give in.

Late in the fourth quarter, Robinson went down. Despite grabbing a career-high 16 tackles and boasting a spirit which was ready for more, the flesh finally gave way.

"We're late in the ballgame now and there's a play where he's down - we had to get him out," Idaho coach Robb Akey recalled. "We get him over to the bench and he couldn't even stand up."

The linebacker was carted off the field and brought to the hospital, where he was hooked up to intravenous fluids for a day and a half as his 5-foot-11, 250-pound body rehydrated and recuperated.

"He almost left too much (out on the field)," Akey said.

Sure enough, Robinson was back in the fold on Monday preparing for the Vandals' rivalry game with Boise State.

"He plays (hard)," the coach said of his senior leader. "He plays with great passion and great energy."

While passion and energy come standard with Robinson, it's through learning the nuances of his position that he has built a reputation as one of the most fearsome

defenders in the WAC.

Originally billed as a premier run-stopper, Robinson has rounded out his skill set by honing his responsibilities in coverage even with a frame south of 6 feet.

On top of leading the Vandals with 88 total tackles, the senior has two pass breakups, two passes defended and three quarterback hurries.

As a junior, Robinson had no breakups and only one hurry.

Off the field, the linebacker's work ethic has become a thing of legend.

"You look at the way he works in the weight room and that's added to it," Akey said. "His freshman year, he tore his knee up in the Fresno game and we go into the winter and he gets that thing fixed and we're in the winter workouts and we close out the winter workouts with a champions night right before spring break.

"Well, here's a guy that had to have everything in the knee fixed and he's in the cleans and he's got a tremendous amount of weight on there. He's 'BAM' - finishing that thing off and I'm thinking 'Oh my God'. But that was awesome. That kind of work got himself back on the field and he's never looked back."

And if he does happen to look over his broad shoulders, Robinson might just have to squint while staring into the Southern California sunshine.

Recruiting Robinson out of Upland, Calif., Akey vividly remembers witnessing his ability to explode on the ballcarrier.

"You might be looking for the guy that carries a larger frame and some different things like that, but his explosiveness is pretty powerful," Akey added. "And he's built at pad-level because he's not too high. It's hard for him to play too high."

Akey, however, isn't the only Vandal that has observed Robinson's knack for hard hits in the suburbs of Los Angeles.

Defensive lineman Quayshawne Buckley played at Colony High School in Ontario, Calif., and lined up against Robinson more times than he'd like to remember.

"I used to play offense in high school and it was hard to block him sometimes because he was quick," Buckley said. "He used to come and dump me sometimes. We used to go at it. We don't really talk about that high school stuff anymore."

Although Robinson didn't pick up football until his freshman year at Upland, that hasn't stopped him from falling in love with the violent side of an inherently violent sport.

"I did play on both sides of the ball, but once I played defense - that's where my heart is. That's what I wanted to do," Robinson said with a grin. "I like to hit people."

And for a player who admittedly models his game after notorious bashers like Ray Lewis, Patrick Willis and Dick Butkus, respect was taken, not given, when Robinson reached the next level.

"My first few years here (I was picked on regarding my height) a lot actually," Robinson said. "People did underestimate me a lot. Opposing teams, when we got out there on the field, were calling me 'midget' and things like that, but once I came through and hit them a couple times, after the game they'd come over and say 'Hey, you work hard. You're a good player.'

"I mean, I hear it but when they say things like that, I don't really like to talk. I like to show them."

Although he will graduate with a degree in criminal justice, Robinson wouldn't mind flaunting what he can do on Sunday afternoons either, he said.

After the season, Robinson will prepare for Idaho's pro day. Traditionally, the talent showcase is held in early March.

Regardless of what the future holds, Buckley, in particular, is furiously taking notes on what it means to lead by example as Robinson's stellar career in Moscow draws to a close with two final games against Utah State and Nevada.

"I've looked up to him a lot," Buckley said. "He's taught me a lot of things. For example, how to keep my composure on the field. I try to do everything how he does it 100 percent.

"He never takes a play off."

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Warzocha may be contacted at twarzocha@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2260.