By Jerry Ratcliffe
Virginia star linebacker Kam Robinson’s season is over. Coach Tony Elliott delivered the bad news at his weekly presser on Tuesday morning, that Robinson suffered an ACL injury in the Duke game and will miss the remainder of the schedule.
The Cavaliers (9-2, 6-1 ACC) host rival Virginia Tech (3-8, 2-5) on Saturday (7 p.m., ESPN) to conclude the regular season.
“[Robinson] is going to have surgery,” Elliott said. “Really grateful for all that he did to help the team get to this point and I’m sure that the guys are going to rally around him and support him in his recovery.”
The junior middle linebacker from Tappahannock is a candidate for ACC Defensive Player of the Year. Robinson is a three-time ACC Linebacker of the Week this season, a Butkus Award semifinalist and is typically regarded as a “game wrecker” for his penchant of producing big plays.
Appearing in only 8 games this season, Robinson became the first player in the last 20 years to record a blocked punt, a pick six and a fumble recovery all in the same season. He also scored a winning safety in the waning moments of the Washington State game to ice Virginia’s 22-20 win over the Cougars.
Teammate Antonio Clary, now in his seventh and final season due to some injuries during his career, knows the disappointment of not being able to finish a season and has talked with Robinson since the Duke game.
“I see him in the training room a lot because I still do my rehab,” Clary said Tuesday. “I just told him to keep his head up. He’s been through some injuries, so he knows what it is, but I told him if anybody can do it, he can do it just by how resilient he is and the type of mindset he has of just going to work every single day.
“Nothing is too big for him. Just keeping his head forward and knowing that God has a plan for him. Kam will be able to play a football game one day. I’m here if he needs me.”
With Virginia’s “next man up” philosophy, the responsibility falls upon junior Landon Danley and “bandit” position Mitchell Melton to fill Robinson’s role. Danley moved into that spot two weeks ago when Robinson was injured late in the first half at Duke, with Danley finishing the game as the Cavaliers’ leading tackler for the game.
“The game has slowed down for [Danley],” Elliott said Tuesday. “He understands the process of preparation throughout the course of the week. His keys are coming a little bit more known to him in terms of gravity and trying to figure everything out. There’s a lot of eye discipline that it takes and you’ve seen the maturity and the growth from that standpoint. We’re excited about him, his opportunity to have a bigger role as well.”
Robinson missed the first three games of the season after suffering a fractured collarbone in training camp, so the Cavaliers know what it’s like to not have No. 5’s playmaking ability to count on.
“We’ve been blessed to have a ton of great, competitive depth, so we’ve had a bunch of guys play at that linebacker spot and we’re excited to see the next guy step up with an opportunity to play,” said defensive coordinator John Rudzinski. “Landon played quarterback, played safety in high school, so his understanding of football is huge. What he’s shown as a linebacker now in the ACC, he’s been really productive.
Coach Rud said that Danley has a nose for the football and is a good communicator, plus brings a lot of leadership.
Danley has played in 10 games this season, started three, and has a total of 35 tackles (16 solo), plus two tackles-for-loss, a forced fumble and a pass break-up.
