Versatile BYU QB Hill poses challenge for UH
Photo By Michael Thomas/FRE
For those tempted to call BYU quarterback Taysom Hill one-dimensional, Houston coach Tony Levine has a suggestion.
'If you look up dual-threat quarterback in the dictionary, they should have his picture there as an example,' said Levine, whose Cougars play No. 25 BYU on Thursday night in a nationally televised game at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo, Utah.
Levine said Hill, a junior, doesn't get enough credit for his ability to run. UH had a front-row seat when Hill threw for 417 yards and four touchdowns and ran for 128 yards to lead BYU to a 47-46 shootout win at NRG Stadium last October.
'Taysom Hill is one of the elite quarterbacks in the country,' Levine said. 'He's dual-threat. He can run it. He doesn't get enough credit nationally for how well he runs.'
For the second straight season, Hill made believers out of the Texas Longhorns, posting 280 yards of total offense and three rushing touchdowns in a 34-point win last week in Austin. The victory catapulted BYU into the national rankings and Hill into the early Heisman Trophy conversation.
Stopping Hill - or at least slowing him - will be a necessity if the Cougars are to have a chance in what will arguably be one of their toughest games of the season.
'Limiting what (Hill) can do, making him one-dimensional will help us a lot,' UH middle linebacker Derrick Mathews said.
Easier said than done. Hill averaged 342.5 yards of total offense - rushing for five touchdowns and passing for three others - in blowout wins over Connecticut and Texas.
As a sophomore, Hill joined some select company, finishing with 4,282 yards in total offense, the fifth-best single-season total in BYU history behind greats Steve Young, Jim McMahon and Ty Detmer. He had six games with at least 100 rushing yards.
'Obviously, they like running the ball,' UH defensive tackle Joey Mbu said. 'We have to be physical in everything we do. We have to come and hit.'
Hill, who at 6-2 has been compared to Tim Tebow, offers a blend of athleticism and speed that makes bringing him down difficult. Against Texas, Hill hurdled a UT defender on the way to a 30-yard touchdown.
'He presents a number of challenges,' Levine said. 'He is big and physical. They list him at 6-2, 232 on their depth chart. He's all of that, if not more.'
UH, meanwhile, began the season with a 27-7 loss to UTSA in the debut of TDECU Stadium. The Cougars rebounded with 477 yards of offense in a 47-0 win over Grambling State, although the team continues to search for an offensive identity and Levine admits, 'I don't think we have shown what we are capable of yet.' Sophomore quarterback John O'Korn has thrown only one touchdown pass (he had 28 as a freshman) against four interceptions (after only 10 last season).
Because of their early struggles, the Cougars are a two-touchdown underdog.
'When you're the underdog, nobody thinks anything of you,' Mbu said. 'We hear everything: 'Oh, they're going to steamroll us ... we're just Houston supposedly.' We use it (as motivation) for us.'
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