TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama edge rusher Que Robinson played with a heavy heart over the weekend. Two days before the Crimson Tide’s 42-16 victory over South Florida, the redshirt senior learned of his father’s passing.

Still mourning the loss, Robinson decided to suit up for Alabama and ended up playing a key role in the defense. Following the game, he embraced head coach Kalen DeBoer while walking off the field.

“It was a very emotional game for me,” Robinson told reporters following the game. “Pretty sure it was for my family. So he was just telling me he was proud of me. I just let him know I’m here for the team, doing what I can do even though it was a very emotional game for me.”

When asked about the lessons passed down from his father, Robinson responded, “just give your all every time you go out there.” He lived by those words Saturday night, registering seven tackles while recording a sack for the second straight game.

Monday, that performance drew recognition from defensive coordinator Kane Wommack who started his press conference by extending condolences to Robinson and his family.

“Such a difficult thing to go through, the loss of a family member,” Wommack said. “I can’t think of a young man who has handled that better, personally and with his teammates. He’s a great son and was very supportive of his family and spent time with them this week, and also did a tremendous job of doing the extra things that it takes to prepare for a game. Our condolences go out to him and his family.

“I’m so proud of who he is as a young man and the leader he is for our team. His teammates really surrounded him well this week, and he went out and played really well for the second week in a row. Certainly want to recognize him.”

Through two games, Robinson has tallied eight stops, including two stops, to go with a quarterback hurry. On top of his efforts on the field, the veteran has also been a leading force in Alabama’s Wolf position group, providing additional support during practice and on the sidelines.

“Everyone sees him as a player, but being around him and seeing who he is as a person, he loves this program,” DeBoer said Monday. “He’s a guy who just everyone looks to as being consistent. For him to really get back here, have some urgency getting back here and feel like he wanted to be around this team the latter half of the week, it just shows everything I said about his commitment to want to be here and help this program every single day be the best we can be. A lot of emotions for him, and I was proud of the way he played.”