Alexander Robinson NFL Draft Interview --- December 19, 2010

Iowa State running back Alexander Robinson, the 2009 Insight Bowl MVP, played in his final collegiate game this past November. The Cyclones rusher leaves ISU as one of the all-time greats at his position.

With the addition of his 2010 season - 202 carries, 945 yards and nine rushing scores - Robinson ended up on many of the football program's career lists.

+ All-Purpose Yards: 4,114 (3rd all-time)
+ Rushing Yards: 3,309 (4th all-time)
+ Rushing Touchdowns: 27 (6th all-time)

Focused on making the transition from the college to the pro game, Robinson took time away from academics and training to speak with Pro Football Draft Picks about the 2009 Insight Bowl, his collegiate career and his professional aspirations.

PFDP: Individually, you ended your career at ISU as one of the program's all-time running backs. Care to comment on your individual accomplishments?

Alexander Robinson: My accomplishments stem directly as a result of my coaches, the strength staffs I’ve had and my teammates. They’ve all helped me in different areas. My coaches really believed in me and put me in a position to make plays on Saturdays.

The strength coaches I've had helped prepare me year round for those situations I get put in on the field to succeed. I've got to give coach [Yancy] McKnight a ton of credit for my development the last two years of my college career.

Until late in my senior season I didn't really know I was that high on the all-time list of running backs until Zach Spears informed me one day when we were eating dinner. My teammates throughout my career have just been great. Especially after everything that we've been through. We are really like one big family.

PFDP: Can you comment on the 2010 season -- both from an individual and team perspective?

Alexander Robinson: I think my thoughts on the season both from an individual perspective and a team perspective are quite similar.

I think I expected to have a much more productive season number wise and I think we felt as a team we should have won several more games than we did. We know people looked at our schedule and didn't give us much of a chance.

We wanted to use the year as an opportunity to bring some respect to our university and as I think back, we had a few close games in there that we really felt we should have came out on top in.

PFDP: You were the MVP of the 2009 Insight Bowl. How satisfying was it to compete in and win a bowl game?

Alexander Robinson: It was an extremely satisfying and enjoyable experience. To be able to spend a week around the entire team in a new and exciting location like Arizona was like a dream come true for us.

The committee at the Insight Bowl showed extreme hospitality to us while we were down there. They made our experience that much more enjoyable.

As far as the game itself I was in a zone most of the time. My focus and intensity was at like no other point in the season. I wanted to win that game so bad. My class hadn't been to a bowl game since we got to college. To win was big for the team.

PFDP: Your thoughts on winning the MVP?

Alexander Robinson: I actually didn't even know they gave out MVP awards for the bowl game and I was surprised I won it. I was certain it was going to Austen [Arnaud] our quarterback.

But to accomplish that in the biggest game of my career to that point was a huge accomplishment for me. I honestly don't think I played that good of a game but hey I'll take it.

PFDP: How was your rapport with running backs coach Kenith Pope this season?

Alexander Robinson: I think my relationship with coach Pope was a little bit different this year than it was last year because I understood more of what he expected from me as a player and us as a running back group in general.

We didn't have to have a lot of conversations like we did in our first year together where I would come off the field and ask him what he saw and where I could do things better.

This year it was more of a hey coach I think I missed this cut or me communicating things I felt we could take advantage of because of the way defenses were actually playing us. Our relationship this year went from more of an instructing relationship to more of a communication relationship.

I think he gave me a little more leeway as a player but also more of a bigger coaching role where when I came off the field after talking to him I would gather the younger guys or they would come up to me and I would tell them what I was seeing while I was out there on the field.

And at times he looked at me to really jumpstart a practice or game and get the team going.

PFDP: Care to give your assessment of the running back position at ISU in 2011?

Alexander Robinson: I think it will be better than any of the past two years.

The running backs that are there now and the ones they are bringing in are going to be much better than me before they leave. I’d really like to see James White get some more playing time the next few years. He is a pretty tough runner for his size.

Jeff Woody is obviously the biggest back of us all and he is something like a bruising back. But he is also a technician; he is always trying to perfect things and do them perfectly.

Shontrelle [Johnson] obviously people saw some this season. He is like a little rabbit on the field. He probably has the quickest feet of anyone I have ever seen in person. Duran Hollis is just a very smooth and patient player. He progressed a lot during his time down on scout team and I'm excited to see him playing in live games this year.

I think coach Pope's toughest job is going to be deciding on how to get all of them playing time and touches next year.

PFDP: Are you going to pursue pro options?

Alexander Robinson: Yes, I'm excited about what my football future holds for me. I'm working now to try and settle in on an agent that I feel comfortable with and then just preparing my body and mind for what lies ahead. It's a different level than what I'm leaving and I'm honestly pretty excited to try and pursue a career at the next level.

PFDP: How will you prepare for a potential professional career?

Alexander Robinson: Well I've already started to prepare along with several teammates. Ever since Thanksgiving break we have been working out daily at the facilities. I'm leaving Ames this weekend and I'll return home to train for a few weeks until January.

Then I’ll head to either Arizona or California to begin more training before returning home to finish training before our pro day in March.

PFDP: What is one area of your game that you will focus on in training over these next months?

Alexander Robinson: I don't think I will focus all my attention on one particular aspect of my game over the next few months. I will focus on improving every area of my game but I do want while I'm training to improve my top-end speed and gain some more weight.

So outside of training for all the drills and test for pro day, I will continue to focus on improving my overall game which I think will pay dividends in the long run.