TEMPE — Demarius “Man Man” Robinson has been itching to get involved for Arizona State, and the freshman running back may get his opportunity in a massive game against Texas Tech this weekend.
“I’m ready to compete,” Robinson said on the Sparky’s Den podcast. “I’m ready to play, I’m ready to shine.”
The freshman was thrust into more first-team reps in practice this week in the wake of injuries elsewhere at the position.
Kyson Brown was ruled out until at least mid-November, and Kanye Udoh was probable on Wednesday’s Big 12 availability report after missing practice earlier in the day with an illness.
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“Man Man’s gonna play a lot,” ASU coach Kenny Dillingham said on the podcast. “I’m excited. … That’s a guy who all spring worked and worked and worked.
“And I think I said in a team meeting this guy’s eventually gonna help us this year because he just works and he cares, and here we are. We’re about to play a home game versus the No. 7 team in the country, and he’s gonna get to play and carry the ball a lot.”
Robinson leads ASU’s freshmen crop in snaps already with 24, mostly coming at the end of the Texas State and Utah games.
He has five rushes for 13 yards and two catches for 18 yards across those snaps.
None of this should indicate Raleek Brown will be relied upon less in the vital matchup, but he’s never been one to get the entirety of the running back carries.
Brown could be feeling pressure to produce after he was passed up for the Big 12 lead in rushing yards (573) by two players, including Texas Tech’s Cameron Dickey (591).
But Robinson thrived as the intensity and physicality ramped up at practice this week, no matter where he was getting used on the field.
He caught a touchdown from Sam Leavitt in a good-on-good team period, and his teammates mobbed him in celebration, providing a teachable moment.
“He got fired up and threw the ball in the air, so (running backs coach Shaun Aguano) had to yell at him,” Dillingham said. “But other than that, it was a great day for him at practice.”
Man Man Robinson’s ‘welcome to college football’ moment
It’s probably close to a consensus answer no matter who you ask that Myles “Ghost” Rowser is responsible for the hardest hits among current Sun Devils.
Robinson was fortunate enough to get his first big hit by a college defender courtesy of Rowser during a spring practice.
“I had like a run play, I ain’t even see him. I made a cut, boom! Ghost hit me,” Robinson recalled. “Welcome to college football, little Man Man. I got that welcome.”
He said the ramp up in physicality at practice has been key to it being the team’s best week of practice so far.
“I love when we start competing and everybody’s talking back to each other, that chippiness,” Robinson said. “It brings something out of players, and it was really fun to compete. Get thudded up by (Jordan) Crook and all them guys.
“It hurt a little bit, but it’s going to help us at the end of the day.”
The Texas Tech matchup may provide its own “welcome to college football” moment if Robinson does indeed see an increase in touches, because Tech has been so stalwart against the run.
Each of the six rushing offenses it’s faced has been held to well under its average output, and four offenses were below half their regular production.
Catch ASU-Texas Tech at 1 p.m. MST on Saturday on 98.7 and the Arizona Sports app. It will be televised on FOX.
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