Quarterback Hill is comfortable upon return

FORT COLLINS» As he was trotting off the field after his first series of the year, it finally hit Collin Hill.

He wasn’t thinking about his left knee. Not at all. In those first three plays after coming back from his second left ACL surgery, he had been forced to move around the pocket, avoid a rush and find a passing lane. Nothing. Not a thought. “One of my first plays against CU, they had guys coming and I didn’t really think about it. I went and reacted,” Hill said. “After I kind of jogged off, I was like, ‘All right, I can move, I can check myself.’

“I wasn’t thinking about it. I think I was pretty healthy.”

No one would blame the sophomore for thinking about the could-have-beens. Had he not originally injured his left knee scrambling against Utah State, his third start of his true freshman season. Or if he’d not come down awkwardly playing a pick-up basketball game with teammates a week out of spring camp in March of this year.

There’s no point now to wonder where he would sit in his development as a quarterback. It would be maddening to do so, and he’s gone through enough of that with his pair of rehabilitations.

No, better to just move forward at this point, because that’s what the Rams really need. In these final three regular-season games of 2018, Hill and the offense need him to get better, because there’s still so much to learn.

Quarterbacks coach Ronnie Letson called him the day after the loss to Wyoming and asked Hill what career start that was for him.

It was just the fourth, and that’s what CSU head coach Mike Bobo and Letson are keeping in mind.

“It’s decisions and reads and being confident in his throws. The yards, that will come depending on how the game goes and whether we’re heavy pass or run. That’s irrelevant,” Bobo said. “We’re not great in some of our run-action protections right now, but he does a really good job at that stuff, being under and throwing to guys. Right now to me, it’s seeing things, it’s anticipating, ball coming out quick. For the most part, I thought he did that, except for a couple of times in the game against Wyoming.”

The moving part, with two knee injuries, is naturally key. Bobo felt Hill’s ability to do so made it look like the Rams protected better against a strong Wyoming rush, to the point where sacks were avoided that weren’t in the past.

To Bobo, Hill looked smooth overall. The ball was coming out of his hands well, and he was anticipating throws. There were three turnovers, which both coach and player lament.

The fumble came off a blindside blitz and rivaled the hit Hill took his second career start at Minnesota. He was hit from the front there, but it looked worse as his helmet flew off.

Regardless, Hill assures he felt both of them the next day.

On the interceptions, Bobo divided blame on the first. Hill absorbed all of it for the second.

“I see a guy that’s got, I think, a lot of talent. The more he plays, the better he’s going to get,” Bobo said.