Stepping Up When the Team Needs Him
Oct 16, 2024 | Football, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
"He's a dog."
Kansas State linebacker Desmond Purnell is talking about sixth-year senior quarterback Ta'Quan Roberson. It's Monday and less than 48 hours since No. 17 Kansas State beat Colorado, 31-28, in front of 53,972 fans at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado. An exhilarating statement game of sorts, yes, for the visiting Wildcats who sought to stay in contention for a spot in the Big 12 Championship Game, but no small victory for the 24-year-old Roberson, who played a role, an important role, a crucial role when head coach Chris Klieman needed him most.
There were 12 minutes, 59 seconds remaining in the third quarter when sensational sophomore quarterback Avery Johnson unfurled a pass and immediate grabbed the left side of his body and was forced from the game and walked into the locker room.
The 6-foot, 201-pound Roberson, who arrived at K-State this summer after transferring from UConn, whose last completion in a UConn uniform was a 4-yard pass to Geordon Porter in the fourth quarter of a 31-28 win over Massachusetts on November 25, 2023, and who once said that "there's always bright light at the end of the tunnel," sprang into action. And, oh, how it must've felt to slide on the helmet, and, oh, that old familiar adrenaline rush that hadn't been felt for many moons, and, oh, the play call, the formation, the execution — the plays.
First play: DJ Giddens rush middle for an 8-yard gain to the Colorado 30-yard line.
Second play: DJ Giddens rush middle for a 3-yard gain to the Colorado 27.
Third play: Dylan Edwards rush middle for a 2-yard gain to the 25.
Then, although Roberson completed a short pass to Jayce Brown for a 1-yard gain to the Colorado 24, the Wildcats faced third down and seven yards to go.
What in the world would happen next?
• • •
It's September 5, 2018. Ta'Quan Roberson wears a white polo, Army-green slacks and a green-strapped backpack as he walks the length of a football field with a reporter. He is the starting quarterback for DePaul Catholic High School in Wayne, N.J. In the first game of his senior season, he throws for 275 yards and rushes for 57 more in a 48-7 win at Pope John in the 2018 season opener. He'll end the season passing for 2,187 yards and 27 touchdowns and four interceptions, and he'll add 141 rushing yards and two scores. He'll be regarded as the 200th-best overall prospect and the 10th-best quarterback in the Class of 2019 by ESPN.
As he walks along the football field with the reporter, he says that he chose to make Penn State his college home because of the family atmosphere. In the interview, he reveals that his favorite dinner is steak and macaroni and cheese. He adds that his favorite dessert is apple pie and vanilla ice cream.
Roberson is a kid living the dream. Steak. Apple pie. And football.
"When I was 6 years old, my lunch aid told me to go out for the football team," he says, "because I was one of the best athletes on the playground."
• • •
Ta'Quan Roberson is wearing a white tank-top and "UConn Football" is written across the wall in the background as he speaks to reporters on Zoom. It's September 13, 2023. So much has happened on his football journey. So much can happen over the years.
Yes, Roberson attended Penn State. For three years. He went to University Park, Pennsylvania as the 10th-best quarterback in the Class of 2019 by ESPN. In 2019, he saw action against Rutgers and retained his redshirt. In 2020, he played in the season finale against Illinois. In 2021, he played in four games but was unable to record any meaningful statistics. He announced on December 21, 2021, that he would enter the transfer portal. A redshirt sophomore, he had three seasons of eligibility remaining.
He was named UConn starting quarterback in 2022 after fall workouts. In the season opener against Utah State, he led a nine-play, 79-yard scoring drive that ended with him rushing three yards into the end zone. Then, moments later, he suffered a torn ACL.
"My injury was very intense," he tells the reporters on Zoom. "I was out 10 months not being able to participate with my team. I just really had to tap into the inner strength that I had to mentally and physically recover."
In 2023, he played in 11 games with 10 starts, threw for 2,075 yards and 12 touchdowns and six interceptions, and he added two touchdowns on the ground. He had a career-high 255 passing yards and two touchdowns against Utah State. He had a career-high four touchdown passes against Sacred Heart. He set career highs with 24 completions and 40 pass attempts at Tennessee.
Then, on May 2, Roberson announced that he re-entered the transfer portal. On July 16, he committed to K-State.
"He didn't get here until the summer, so it was learning our offense in the summer and in fall camp," Klieman says on Monday. "I always thought he was a competitor. You could see that on the film when you watched him what kind of competitor he is.
"He made people around him better."
• • •
And now, here it is, third quarter, more than 50,000 people yelling their lungs out in the thin air in Boulder, and the Wildcats lead, 14-7, and face third-and-7 at the Colorado 24-yard line. Ta'Quan Roberson, who has split time with sophomore Jacob Knuth at the backup position in practice, completed 1-of-3 passes late in the Wildcats' season-opening 41-6 victory over UT Martin on August 31.
That was UT Martin.
This is black-and-gold craziness.
"The biggest thing is it didn't come to a surprise for me," Avery Johnson says on Monday.
"There was no skip of a beat," senior left guard Hadley Panzer says.
"I was really confident," senior right guard Taylor Poitier says.
Desmond Purnell puts it a slightly different way.
"He's a dog," Purnell says. "That was unbelievable."
Third down. No telling what can happen on third down in a crazy-hostile environment. Things can get tight. It can be like a pressure-cooker, really.
What in the world would happen next?
"ON THIRD AND SEVEN … CAUGHT! … FIRST DOWN AND THEN SOME!" ESPN commentator Mark Jones shouted. "FIRST-AND-TEN WILDCATS! ROBERSON WITH AN AUTHORITATIVE THROW HERE!"
Third-and-7 at the 24. It was no-huddle, shotgun, with four wide receivers and Giddens in the backfield. It was a five-step drop, a key block by right tackle Carver Willis to allow just enough time in the pocket. It was sophomore Jayce Brown lined up as the inside wide receiver to the left side of the field, taking 13 quick steps up field, planting and turning to the outside on an out-route, fooling senior cornerback Preston Hodge, taking him out of the equation, and it was Shilo Sanders flying in but missing the tackle, and Brown darting vertical and then horizontal toward the middle of the field, finally going down at the 11-yard line by the left hashmark.
"The first thing was the noise," Klieman says. "He came in at a time where it was cranked up really loud and we were driving, and he was able to handle the noise. You could tell he's played a lot of football. That was the thing that we were excited to see is his experience showed up playing as much football as he had. I'm really happy for him."
Linebacker Austin Romaine saw it all unfurl from the sideline.
"No flinch," Romaine says. "When he came in, there was no flinch to him. He drove down like it was nothing. That's a good way to put it — no flinch."
Roberson was on the field for eight plays. Johnson returned from the locker room, re-entered the game, and promptly threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Brown. K-State got its 21-7 lead.
And after the big win, inside the visiting locker room, Roberson got a hammer.
The hammer is given to a player for outstanding effort.
"When we gave him one of the hammers at the end of the game, people were grateful and happy that he came in and performed," Klieman says, "because he works his butt off."
It was no small victory for Roberson. He played a role, an important role, a crucial role when K-State needed him the most. His efforts reaffirmed so much. Never give up.
There's always bright light at the end of the tunnel.
"He's a dog."
Kansas State linebacker Desmond Purnell is talking about sixth-year senior quarterback Ta'Quan Roberson. It's Monday and less than 48 hours since No. 17 Kansas State beat Colorado, 31-28, in front of 53,972 fans at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado. An exhilarating statement game of sorts, yes, for the visiting Wildcats who sought to stay in contention for a spot in the Big 12 Championship Game, but no small victory for the 24-year-old Roberson, who played a role, an important role, a crucial role when head coach Chris Klieman needed him most.
There were 12 minutes, 59 seconds remaining in the third quarter when sensational sophomore quarterback Avery Johnson unfurled a pass and immediate grabbed the left side of his body and was forced from the game and walked into the locker room.
The 6-foot, 201-pound Roberson, who arrived at K-State this summer after transferring from UConn, whose last completion in a UConn uniform was a 4-yard pass to Geordon Porter in the fourth quarter of a 31-28 win over Massachusetts on November 25, 2023, and who once said that "there's always bright light at the end of the tunnel," sprang into action. And, oh, how it must've felt to slide on the helmet, and, oh, that old familiar adrenaline rush that hadn't been felt for many moons, and, oh, the play call, the formation, the execution — the plays.
First play: DJ Giddens rush middle for an 8-yard gain to the Colorado 30-yard line.
Second play: DJ Giddens rush middle for a 3-yard gain to the Colorado 27.
Third play: Dylan Edwards rush middle for a 2-yard gain to the 25.
Then, although Roberson completed a short pass to Jayce Brown for a 1-yard gain to the Colorado 24, the Wildcats faced third down and seven yards to go.
What in the world would happen next?
• • •
It's September 5, 2018. Ta'Quan Roberson wears a white polo, Army-green slacks and a green-strapped backpack as he walks the length of a football field with a reporter. He is the starting quarterback for DePaul Catholic High School in Wayne, N.J. In the first game of his senior season, he throws for 275 yards and rushes for 57 more in a 48-7 win at Pope John in the 2018 season opener. He'll end the season passing for 2,187 yards and 27 touchdowns and four interceptions, and he'll add 141 rushing yards and two scores. He'll be regarded as the 200th-best overall prospect and the 10th-best quarterback in the Class of 2019 by ESPN.
As he walks along the football field with the reporter, he says that he chose to make Penn State his college home because of the family atmosphere. In the interview, he reveals that his favorite dinner is steak and macaroni and cheese. He adds that his favorite dessert is apple pie and vanilla ice cream.
Roberson is a kid living the dream. Steak. Apple pie. And football.
"When I was 6 years old, my lunch aid told me to go out for the football team," he says, "because I was one of the best athletes on the playground."
• • •
Ta'Quan Roberson is wearing a white tank-top and "UConn Football" is written across the wall in the background as he speaks to reporters on Zoom. It's September 13, 2023. So much has happened on his football journey. So much can happen over the years.
Yes, Roberson attended Penn State. For three years. He went to University Park, Pennsylvania as the 10th-best quarterback in the Class of 2019 by ESPN. In 2019, he saw action against Rutgers and retained his redshirt. In 2020, he played in the season finale against Illinois. In 2021, he played in four games but was unable to record any meaningful statistics. He announced on December 21, 2021, that he would enter the transfer portal. A redshirt sophomore, he had three seasons of eligibility remaining.
He was named UConn starting quarterback in 2022 after fall workouts. In the season opener against Utah State, he led a nine-play, 79-yard scoring drive that ended with him rushing three yards into the end zone. Then, moments later, he suffered a torn ACL.
"My injury was very intense," he tells the reporters on Zoom. "I was out 10 months not being able to participate with my team. I just really had to tap into the inner strength that I had to mentally and physically recover."
In 2023, he played in 11 games with 10 starts, threw for 2,075 yards and 12 touchdowns and six interceptions, and he added two touchdowns on the ground. He had a career-high 255 passing yards and two touchdowns against Utah State. He had a career-high four touchdown passes against Sacred Heart. He set career highs with 24 completions and 40 pass attempts at Tennessee.
Then, on May 2, Roberson announced that he re-entered the transfer portal. On July 16, he committed to K-State.
"He didn't get here until the summer, so it was learning our offense in the summer and in fall camp," Klieman says on Monday. "I always thought he was a competitor. You could see that on the film when you watched him what kind of competitor he is.
"He made people around him better."
• • •
And now, here it is, third quarter, more than 50,000 people yelling their lungs out in the thin air in Boulder, and the Wildcats lead, 14-7, and face third-and-7 at the Colorado 24-yard line. Ta'Quan Roberson, who has split time with sophomore Jacob Knuth at the backup position in practice, completed 1-of-3 passes late in the Wildcats' season-opening 41-6 victory over UT Martin on August 31.
That was UT Martin.
This is black-and-gold craziness.
"The biggest thing is it didn't come to a surprise for me," Avery Johnson says on Monday.
"There was no skip of a beat," senior left guard Hadley Panzer says.
"I was really confident," senior right guard Taylor Poitier says.
Desmond Purnell puts it a slightly different way.
"He's a dog," Purnell says. "That was unbelievable."
Third down. No telling what can happen on third down in a crazy-hostile environment. Things can get tight. It can be like a pressure-cooker, really.
What in the world would happen next?
"ON THIRD AND SEVEN … CAUGHT! … FIRST DOWN AND THEN SOME!" ESPN commentator Mark Jones shouted. "FIRST-AND-TEN WILDCATS! ROBERSON WITH AN AUTHORITATIVE THROW HERE!"
Third-and-7 at the 24. It was no-huddle, shotgun, with four wide receivers and Giddens in the backfield. It was a five-step drop, a key block by right tackle Carver Willis to allow just enough time in the pocket. It was sophomore Jayce Brown lined up as the inside wide receiver to the left side of the field, taking 13 quick steps up field, planting and turning to the outside on an out-route, fooling senior cornerback Preston Hodge, taking him out of the equation, and it was Shilo Sanders flying in but missing the tackle, and Brown darting vertical and then horizontal toward the middle of the field, finally going down at the 11-yard line by the left hashmark.
"The first thing was the noise," Klieman says. "He came in at a time where it was cranked up really loud and we were driving, and he was able to handle the noise. You could tell he's played a lot of football. That was the thing that we were excited to see is his experience showed up playing as much football as he had. I'm really happy for him."
Linebacker Austin Romaine saw it all unfurl from the sideline.
"No flinch," Romaine says. "When he came in, there was no flinch to him. He drove down like it was nothing. That's a good way to put it — no flinch."
Roberson was on the field for eight plays. Johnson returned from the locker room, re-entered the game, and promptly threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Brown. K-State got its 21-7 lead.
And after the big win, inside the visiting locker room, Roberson got a hammer.
The hammer is given to a player for outstanding effort.
"When we gave him one of the hammers at the end of the game, people were grateful and happy that he came in and performed," Klieman says, "because he works his butt off."
It was no small victory for Roberson. He played a role, an important role, a crucial role when K-State needed him the most. His efforts reaffirmed so much. Never give up.
There's always bright light at the end of the tunnel.
Players Mentioned
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RB
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QB
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OL
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OL
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