Former Walk-On Parker Robertson Reflects on Career Performance against Kansas State

STILLWATER — Parker Robertson screwed up the same play in practice three times during the bye week. On Saturday, things finally clicked into place, and he executed his pass rush perfectly, resulting in a 5-yard sack in the first quarter.

“That’s Parker Robertson,” defensive coordinator Clint Bowen said. “If he has something that he needs to improve, he improves it.”

Robertson said he wasn’t sure if Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson still had the ball when he took him down. The safety said that was his first sack since he was 4 years old.

“I’ve always wanted one, and I’m glad it finally happened,” Robertson said.

That tone-setting sack came early on Kansas State’s second drive, but it wasn’t the first time Robertson made an impact in Saturday’s 14-6 loss. He previously broke up a pass on third down to force a Kansas State 3-and-out.

That was just the beginning.

He finished the afternoon with a team-high eight tackles, 1-of-2 OSU sacks and 2-of-3 pass breakups.  Oh yeah, and he also recorded the team’s only interception.

“I don’t know what else a kid could dream of, making every statistical play that there is on the defensive side of the ball,” Robertson said. “I mean, that is more than a dream, and I’m glad I played like that today.”

As a former walk-on, Robertson is something of a dinosaur in the college football world. Increasing reliance on the transfer portal and roster limitations doesn’t leave room for guys like Robertson in the revenue-sharing era.

Robertson hasn’t been a walk-on in years, but on Saturday, he played like it was him facing extinction.

“I had to work and just keep working,” Robertson said. “I’ve never changed that walk-on mindset of just keep working and take one step at a time.”

At least four times, Robertson was directly responsible for either forcing a punt or a turnover. Considering Kansas State only had 10 drives, excluding the kneel at the end, that makes Robertson responsible for ending 40% of Kansas State’s drives.

“He’s got great character and loves football and loves his team,” interim coach Doug Meacham said. “He just loves his team. And he’s a kid that had to do it the hard way. Nothing’s given to him. So he has this opportunity, he takes advantage of it and he appreciates it, probably more so than some five-star kids.”

Meacham said watching a former walk-on have so much success definitely inspired the rest of his defensive teammates to step up as well.

Many of those teammates spent most of the afternoon clapping Robertson on the back as he continued to keep the Cowboys in the game through sheer force of will.

“Everyone was just like ‘stay in that zone, stay locked in,’” Robertson said, describing the sideline. “A lot of people were giving me praise on the sideline. Someone just said it was like being in the zone in basketball, and it feels like the hoop is just an ocean wide. That’s kind of how I felt all day. Everything was flowing, everything was going smooth. I was just going straight off instincts and everything went great.”

Robertson spent most of his career watching other guys enjoy the spotlight. He didn’t play 25 snaps of defense in a game until the seventh game of his fourth year. This season, he’s been a focal point, playing at least 33 snaps every week and often exceeding 45.

Although he put together the greatest performance of his career on Saturday, Robertson still felt the pain of losing yet another game.

When asked how he pushes through the frustration of a 1-9 season, Robertson kept it simple.

“Just knowing this could be it for my football career,” he said. “I’m just happy to be here. I’ve got two weeks left. I’m gonna give it everything I’ve got. I’ve dreamed of it since I was a 4-year-old kid. I’m just gonna keep playing, and even if I’m frustrated, just look on the highs and not the lows.”