What happens to a football squad when the quarterback who started all 11 ballgames the previous season, and dominated nearly every team he faced, may not be able to return?

“We were concerned to the point where we had plans of what to do if Stacey wasn’t there,” NIU offensive coordinator Mike Summers said of his quarterback, Stacey Robinson.

obinson, who ran for 1,443 yards last fall, ran into trouble with the academic side of football this April when he was suspended from spring drills for violating the team’s “academic progress” rules.

After taking a full class load this summer, Robinson was declared eligible for the fall semester by meeting all NCAA requirements.

“We’re pleased to have the official word that Stacey is eligible this season,” head coach Jerry Pettibone said. ” I think this has been a valuable lesson for him. He has learned that you have to have a proper balance between academics and athletics.”

There is no doubt that the whole situation had an affect on Robinson.

“He (Robinson) is a guy that football is very important to,” Summers said. “The first thing that happened to him in this situation that really hurt him was he had football taken away from him. That made a direct impact on his attitude toward academics and toward football because he realized that you have to do something other than football.”

Last year Robinson led a Huskie team that set 31 school records and finished 9-2, the best mark under sixth-year coach Pettibone. Robinson set two national records while tying a third in catching national attention. His 1,443 single-season rushing yards by a QB broke the old mark of 1,315, set by Air Force’s Dee Dowis in 1987, and his 131.2 ypg. average topped the 118.2 ypg. held by Tampa’s Fred Solomon in 1974. He also rushed for 19 touchdowns, which tied the national record.

“It’s real hard to replace a guy who started 11 ballgames,” quarterback coach Jay Schaake said. “Stacey did a lot of great things last year. We’re all happy that he was able to get his grades and do a good job in summer school so we could have him back.”

How did Robinson feel about the situation?

“There was a little tension going into finals week,” he said. “But after I took the tests, I felt confident.”

obinson’s return to the starting lineup “takes a lot of pressure of a lot of people,” Schaake said. But would the team fail to function without Robinson?

“I have a lot of confidence in the two guys that back him up right now,” Schaake said. “Rob Rugai is second-team and has done a lot of good things, plus he has had some playing time. Rob does a real good job and I wouldn’t have any problem with Rob playing. The same thing happens if Stacey were to hurt his ankle in the first game. Rob’s the guy who would go in there and win the game for us and I know he can do that.”

“There’s no doubt in my mind that any quarterback we would have found to go in behind him would have come in and done a great job,” Summers said. “We would have won just as many games but I think Stacey’s talent can’t do anything but make us a difficult team to defend.”

Entering his senior season, Robinson has earned recognition from many national publications. Street & Smith’s College Football named him First-Team All-Midwest, Honorable Mention All-America and a “sleeper” Heisman Trophy candidate. The Sporting News rates him as the No. 3 all-purpose quarterback in the nation as well as Second-Team All-Independent.

“He’s a great football player,” Summers said. “By playing the position he plays, he has an opportunity to make a great impact on our team. We’ve got a lot of other great football players on this team, but because of the nature of the game and of his position, his impact is seen and felt by the whole offense. That made it that much more important that he be with us this year, especially with the high expectations we have.”

Robinson’s receiving corps is also glad to have him back.

“I think it’s a morale booster for us,” split end Mark Clancy said. “A lot of guys look up to Stacey, he’s pretty much a leader. I think it makes us more confident.”

“It’s definitely a great thing for us,” split end Kurt Cassidy said. “Stacey has the experience, he’s been in there before and knows what he’s doing. We’re glad that he’s back.”

With the season just around the corner, is the off-the-field Robinson episode over?

“I think the way Coach Pettibone handled it was the way it needed to be handled and the way Stacey has responded is the way we hoped he would,” Summers said. “Now hopefully we can get that behind us and he can have a great year.”