Colorado State University Athletics
Photo by: Cris Tiller
Bobo Announces Hill is Out for the Season
9/17/2019 7:14:00 PM | Football
Offense knows it has to help new signal caller
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Deep down, everybody around the program was holding out hope for the best.
Yet during Saturday's game at Arkansas, Colorado State football coach Mike Bobo said junior quarterback Collin Hill, deep down, knew the truth – the left ACL which had been reconstructed twice was torn again.
Which is what Bobo confirmed on Tuesday, that Hill will be out for the remainder of the season. Hill, who had thrown for 840 yards and eight touchdowns, will wait for the swelling to go down before having surgery.
Hill was out at practice, helping in the offensive huddle, but that didn't make the news any easier.
"Like I said after the game, he's a great human being," Bobo said. "I just can't say enough about the kid. Even during the game he knew it was torn, and he came back out and was being supportive of the guys and the quarterback, (Patrick O'Brien), who was in there."
It was O'Brien who was running the first offense at practice on Tuesday, but Bobo has not told him he's definitely the starter. O'Brien or Justice McCoy, all eyes will be on the Rams' quarterback Saturday vs. Toledo (8:20 p.m.; ESPN2) for Ag Day.
Their teammates know this, but they also know it's not all on the new starter.
"We're a team. I know he's been working his tail off," receiver Warren Jackson said. "I know he's preparing, and he'll be focused and ready to go.
"Make plays. For the wide receiver group, make plays, catch the balls you're not supposed to. Build his confidence up and get him rolling, know your assignments. You can't ask him what to do. We need to make it as easy as possible for him."
When O'Brien stepped in for Hill in the third quarter, the flow of the offense took a direct hit. It was operating with the pressure Hill was putting on the accelerator, and the sights and sounds changed immediately.
Offensive lineman Barry Wesley said the cadence changed, so did the timing. A week to work together will help that, but he added his group has to make sure they give O'Brien confidence, too.
"It's protecting him. It's making sure he's not hitting the ground at all," Wesley said. "It's making sure he feels safe in the pocket, and when he throws that ball, he's not worried about a guy touching him. It's making sure that we understand our calls, and if he needs help making a call, we can do that for him."
O'Brien hit 7-of-10 passes for 106 yards in his relief role, with the biggest chunk a 75-yard scoring pass to Dante Wright. It was a glimpse into what he can do, as he extended the play under a heavy rush, finding Wright deep. The true freshman did the rest, making an adjustment on the pass, then deftly avoided stepping out before bolting down the sideline.
That's the tough part for the new quarterback, and O'Brien understands he has to do his part to keep an offense averaging 34.3 points per game rolling under new leadership. The output was due in no small part to the confidence Hill was playing with and the ripple effect it created for the unit as a whole.
That, in a nutshell, is the job description.
"When people look in my eyes, I definitely need to be that type of leader," O'Brien said. "My whole aspect behind it, when you're finally playing, you can be a little bit more of a vocal leader. I'm definitely, slowly putting myself into that kind of role, so if I just exude confidence in myself and give that essence that I'll play well, then guys are going to play well around me."
Yet during Saturday's game at Arkansas, Colorado State football coach Mike Bobo said junior quarterback Collin Hill, deep down, knew the truth – the left ACL which had been reconstructed twice was torn again.
Which is what Bobo confirmed on Tuesday, that Hill will be out for the remainder of the season. Hill, who had thrown for 840 yards and eight touchdowns, will wait for the swelling to go down before having surgery.
Hill was out at practice, helping in the offensive huddle, but that didn't make the news any easier.
"Like I said after the game, he's a great human being," Bobo said. "I just can't say enough about the kid. Even during the game he knew it was torn, and he came back out and was being supportive of the guys and the quarterback, (Patrick O'Brien), who was in there."
It was O'Brien who was running the first offense at practice on Tuesday, but Bobo has not told him he's definitely the starter. O'Brien or Justice McCoy, all eyes will be on the Rams' quarterback Saturday vs. Toledo (8:20 p.m.; ESPN2) for Ag Day.
Their teammates know this, but they also know it's not all on the new starter.
"We're a team. I know he's been working his tail off," receiver Warren Jackson said. "I know he's preparing, and he'll be focused and ready to go.
"Make plays. For the wide receiver group, make plays, catch the balls you're not supposed to. Build his confidence up and get him rolling, know your assignments. You can't ask him what to do. We need to make it as easy as possible for him."
When O'Brien stepped in for Hill in the third quarter, the flow of the offense took a direct hit. It was operating with the pressure Hill was putting on the accelerator, and the sights and sounds changed immediately.
Offensive lineman Barry Wesley said the cadence changed, so did the timing. A week to work together will help that, but he added his group has to make sure they give O'Brien confidence, too.
"It's protecting him. It's making sure he's not hitting the ground at all," Wesley said. "It's making sure he feels safe in the pocket, and when he throws that ball, he's not worried about a guy touching him. It's making sure that we understand our calls, and if he needs help making a call, we can do that for him."
O'Brien hit 7-of-10 passes for 106 yards in his relief role, with the biggest chunk a 75-yard scoring pass to Dante Wright. It was a glimpse into what he can do, as he extended the play under a heavy rush, finding Wright deep. The true freshman did the rest, making an adjustment on the pass, then deftly avoided stepping out before bolting down the sideline.
That's the tough part for the new quarterback, and O'Brien understands he has to do his part to keep an offense averaging 34.3 points per game rolling under new leadership. The output was due in no small part to the confidence Hill was playing with and the ripple effect it created for the unit as a whole.
That, in a nutshell, is the job description.
"When people look in my eyes, I definitely need to be that type of leader," O'Brien said. "My whole aspect behind it, when you're finally playing, you can be a little bit more of a vocal leader. I'm definitely, slowly putting myself into that kind of role, so if I just exude confidence in myself and give that essence that I'll play well, then guys are going to play well around me."
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