FORT COLLINS – Collin Hill made quite the first impression Saturday afternoon, leading the Colorado State Rams to a 47-21 victory over the University of Northern Colorado.
Hill, a true freshman from South Carolina, came on in relief of Faton Bauta last week, raising more questions about the revolving door at quarterback.
But after going 21 of 27 for 315 yards and four touchdowns through the air, it’s safe to say that head coach Mike Bobo has found his quarterback.
“Collin Hill played well today,” said Bobo. “I thought he was calm and composed. He played with a poise and confidence I’ve seen since day one. And I thought the guys made plays for him.”
Hill’s effectiveness right from the start helped propel the CSU offense to a 38-0 lead at halftime. And as Bobo noted postgame, the Bears tested the youngster.
“They came out a little bit different defensively,” said Bobo. “They loaded the box and played a lot of single-high man-to-man coverage and we were able to answer with the passing game. Not just Collin Hill but I thought the receivers made catch after catch.”
Nine different CSU receivers caught passes in the game. Olabisi Johnson, who had three catches for 31 yards and a touchdown, raved about the play of Hill.
“He was throwing it up there and just letting us go get it,” said the wide receiver.
Bobo also pointed to his quarterback’s aggressive mentality.
Said Bobo: “The big thing is to give your guys a chance. And Collin did that today. He was decisive on his throws and he was committed to them. And the ball was getting there in a hurry, which was good to see. There wasn’t a lot of time for the defensive backs to react and the receivers were able to use late hands and catch the ball.”
One play that Hill will remember forever was when he caught the Bears in man coverage in the first quarter. He took advantage of space in the middle of the field and galloped 51 yards for a touchdown.
Not exactly known for being fleet of foot, he caught some grief when he got to the sideline.
“I don’t think he’s got great speed,” joked Bobo. “He said he was out of breath and that it was the furthest he’s ever run. And he’s in this Colorado climate and his lips are completely white and I said ‘Your lips are completely white, you need to go get some chap stick and drink some water.”
Not surprisingly, the effectiveness of the Rams passing game lit a fire into what was a CSU team in limbo.
“To go out and play well, and to play like he thought he could play and how we thought he could play is only going to give him confidence but also give our team confidence,” said Bobo. “You could see the confidence level rise when we were throwing the ball today. Guys were excited.”
The near-perfect first half for the Rams may have played a role in how CSU came out in the third quarter. Bobo explained that he was not pleased with the effort after halftime.
“We’re still yet to play a complete game,” he said. “The energy level was not what I expected in the second half. And we’ve got something to correct coming into this week.”
Now comes the true test, though. CSU will travel outside the state of Colorado for the first time next week when they face the University of Minnesota.
It will be interesting to see how Hill responds to a Big Ten defense on the road, but Bobo feels confident that his team will put themselves in position to win the game.
“The way you win on the road is you eliminate distractions,” said Bobo. “You go in focused and you know the game plan.”
