OSU vs. Boise State
OSU will let Justice Hill loose against Boise State after two weeks of light duty
Cowboys host the Broncos at 2:30 p.m. in Stillwater.
STILLWATER — Question after question dangled in front of him like a baited hook.
But Justice Hill didn’t bite. He never does.
Is preparation for a big game like Oklahoma State has on Saturday more intense or exciting? Does he expect the offense to look different? Will he be more involved in the game plan than he has been against weaker opponents the first two games?
Hill, Oklahoma State’s star junior running back, sticks to the one-game-at-a-time motto as well as anyone, especially this week, with the No. 24 Cowboys set to host No. 17 Boise State at 2:30 p.m. Saturday on ESPN in what can easily be considered the biggest nonconference game at Boone Pickens Stadium in nearly a decade.
“We’re excited to go up against anybody,” Hill said. “Playing Missouri State, playing South Alabama, it’s the same energy. This week, it’s just a ranked opponent. We’re gonna feel the same about it. We gotta go out there and perform the way we know we can.”
Among teammates, Hill is regarded as a leader by example, doing his work with his play on the field rather than with his mouth.
This week, he’ll be answering
those questions the same way, too.
The junior running back has 19 carries for 154 yards and two receptions for 33 in the Cowboys first two games. Productive, yet not overtaxed — one of coach Mike Gundy’s biggest concerns entering the season as he tried to set limits to keep Hill healthy.
But Saturday is the type of game you save him for. Only if the game gets out of hand does Hill get an early seat on the bench. Otherwise, it’s time to take off the leash and let him run.
“What we talked about is 15 carries (per game) over an extended period of time,” Gundy said. “Maybe he gets 22 in this game ... depending on how the game goes, and the offense plays, and his health, how J.D. (King) and Chuba (Hubbard) plays, and all that.
“He could very well touch the ball 22-24 times in this game.”
Hill is the Cowboys’ most dangerous player with the ball in his hands, and they need him handling it in as many favorable situations as possible to close out the nonconference season with a 3-0 record.
Of course, Hill will need some help from the offensive line, which was a point of concern for Gundy last week against South Alabama when the Cowboys’ quartet of talented running backs combined for just 124 rushing yards.
South Alabama crowded the line of scrimmage, and the Cowboy offensive line didn’t respond well.
“We have to be able to block the six or seven people in the box,” Gundy said. “We’ve got to get in front of them, we’ve got to move them out of there, and we’re not doing that to where we need to be to play at a high level.
“If the numbers are equal, we gotta block those guys, so our backs can make a cut on the other side of the line of scrimmage, and not in the backfield.”
While Hill is going to get more action this week than he has in the previous two, improved run blocking will be crucial, regardless of whether it’s Hill, King, Hubbard or LD Brown carrying the ball.
“It’s important that we do our job well, because they’re all special,” left tackle Arlington Hambright said. “We do our jobs right, it can be a big play, any play.”