MIAMI (AP) — Michael Robinson waited a long time to be Penn State’s full-time starting quarterback.

It’s only fitting it took him awhile to win the Orange Bowl.

After Kevin Kelly’s 29-yard field goal in the third overtime gave No. 3 Penn State a 26-23 victory over No. 22 Florida State, Robinson rushed the field with his teammates, pumped his arms and then hugged tackle Andrew Richardson at midfield.

“This game is what our senior class has been through, we’ve been up, we’ve been down, but we finished it right,” Robinson said, standing next to coach Joe Paterno and a bowl of oranges.

Robinson was 21-for-39 with a touchdown and interception. But he couldn’t quite break out against Florida State’s quick defenders for some of the big runs that highlighted his year.

He finished with 21 yards rushing on 17 carries.

Still, the Orange Bowl win put an exclamation point on Robinson’s final season in Happy Valley. He was happy, at last, as a starting quarterback after also playing at running back and receiver during his career.

Heading into the season, Paterno entwined his fate with how Robinson would play, though the senior had never spent a full season at quarterback since coming to Penn State. Some fans clamored for strong-armed backup Anthony Morelli to step up.

Instead, it was Robinson who stepped up and showed he could lead the team, after cutting down on turnovers and making big plays with his arms and legs.

“This guy, this guy over here, has been making plays in the clutch all year,” a smiling Paterno said after the game.

They’ve grown so comfortable that Robinson said he argued with Paterno on the sideline after a fake field goal was called for on second down in the third overtime. That play was scratched after Robinson’s input.

“Once I heard what it was … me and coach had it out,” Robinson said.

But they quickly patched things up, as they always do. In fact, it was Robinson who gave an impassioned defense of the venerable coach as the Nittany Lions celebrated on the field.

“Coach Paterno took a lot of criticism,” Robinson said, standing next to the man himself. “I can’t believe people wanted him to leave. We finished it the way we wanted to finish it.”

But he had to do it without some key weapons. Star freshman Derrick Williams has been out since the last-second loss to Michigan with a broken left arm and starting running back Tony Hunt left in the first quarter after appearing to hurt his left ankle.

Robinson got help from some lesser-known Nittany Lions. Austin Scott came in for Hunt and had 110 yards and two scores, while Ethan Kilmer had six catches for 79 yards and a touchdown.