The Duce was loose.
After recording just two catches for 18 yards against Alabama, wide receiver Duce Robinson had himself a field day Saturday, Sept. 6, at Doak Campbell Stadium. He caught a career-best five passes for 173 yards and two touchdowns in Florida State’s 77-3 blowout victory over East Texas A&M.
A chunk of his numbers came in the first quarter. His two touchdown catches were highlight reels, especially the falling, one-handed grab in the end-zone corner.
When asked about that play, Robinson said he blacked out afterward. But his play-making abilities were a reflection of the trust he had in quarterback Tommy Castellanos.
“I feel as though if Tommy’s going to give me a chance, that means he trusts me, and I need to make sure he trusts me more,” Robinson said.
“So if he’s going to give me a chance to throw a ball up like that, if I need to use one hand, two hands, no hands to catch it, I need to make the play, and so it was really cool. God willing, there’s a lot more of those on the way.”
Castellanos admitted that he let the USC transfer down last week and that the East Texas A&M game was a way to make up for it. He is also not surprised by the touchdown passes Robinson caught. He has seen it every day in practice and was happy to finally show it off in front of 65,430 fans at Doak Campbell Stadium.
“I mean, since he got here, we’ve been playing,” Castellanos said. “He’s been making wild plays. It didn’t surprise me at all.”
FSU coach Mike Norvell was fascinated by the day Robinson had. He believed the receiver’s athletic traits were put on display in the first quarter, explaining why those two touchdown passes stood out to him.
“I thought Duce was remarkable. He showcased what we get to see in practice, his speed, length, play making ability,” Norvell said.
Playing at Doak Campbell Stadium is ‘surreal’ for Duce Robinson
Robinson felt he was 5-years-old. That was the age he experienced being inside Doak Campbell Stadium while watching his father, Dominic, play for the Seminoles.
As this was the true junior’s second home game, scoring his first touchdown at Doak while following in his father’s footsteps meant more to him than he could explain.
“God, it’s surreal. Growing up, I’ve come to love coming to games, watching them, and even getting my first catch last week, but scoring a touchdown this week is an experience like no other,” Robinson said.
Robinson still shares the memories of being a young kid. Whether watching it on TV or experiencing it in person, he still cherishes every moment, such as running the tunnel or the speardown by the Chief.
“Those are all memories I have from watching TV as a kid, and now I get to live them out every day,” Robinson said. “All I know is the 5-year-old me would be very proud of myself right now.”
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Peter Holland Jr. covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at PHolland@Gannett.com or on X @_Da_pistol.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU football’s Duce Robinson’s impressive performance based on Tommy Castellanos’s trust
Reporting by Peter Holland Jr., Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
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