WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - After a record-setting performance, Michigan's quarterback remained modest.
As he prepared to do a phone interview, he took the receiver and announced, "Hello? This is Denard Robinson speaking."
To the untrained eye - or ear - it probably would have been difficult to know that Robinson had just set a Big Ten Conference record Saturday afternoon.
In Michigan's 44-13 win at Purdue in its conference opener, Robinson set a career conference quarterback rushing record of 3,905 yards, besting Antwaan Randle El's record of 3,895, set in 2001 when Randle El played at Indiana.
Think about it - that's an average of 95 yards a game, or, if we were to stretch the math out, about 1,100 to 1,200 rushing yards a season. Against the Boilermakers, Robinson finished with 235 yards on 24 carries and was 8 for 16 passing with 105 yards and one touchdown.
But when discussing his record-setting afternoon, Robinson, naturally, deferred to his supporting cast - namely, his offensive line, as well as the Wolverines receivers.
Two weeks after Robinson apologized for his poor performance in a loss to Notre Dame, Hoke believes this win and Robinson's performance was a confidence booster.
"It was probably good for all of us to some degree," Hoke said. "When you look at it at the end of the game, he looked real comfortable. He was very ready to play the game, and it showed."
Michigan also got a boost away from home. The Wolverines won their first road game this season - and were appropriately dressed for the occasion. Underneath their navy blue warm-ups, many of the Wolverines, including Robinson, wore gold-toned camouflage t-shirts that read "133 Road Warriors" in navy blue block lettering.
"This is how we want to defend the road," Robinson said. "That's how we look at it. We want to go hard every time we step on the field. Every time we get on the road we've got to be road warriors."
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