Tulsa’s Hobbs still inspired by teammate’s death

There will be no lack of motivation as Justin Hobbs slips on the familiar No. 29 jersey and prepares for the second to last home game of his impressive career with the Tulsa football team.

Hobbs and the Hurricane are eager to snap a sevengame losing streak and erase the bad taste in their mouths of 12 straight losses to fellow Football Bowl Subdivision programs, a streak that began with a six-point defeat at the hands of UConn on Oct. 21, 2017. The rematch is set for Saturday night at Tulsa.

The emotions run a little more deeper, however, than just securing a victory for Hobbs. When he arrived at Tulsa, one of his first requests was to wear No. 29 and he has just four more opportunities to wear his Tulsa uniform.

Players request uniform numbers for a variety of reasons but few come with a more poignant back story then why Hobbs was so determined to switch from the No. 84 jersey he donned during his days at Shawnee Mission (Kansas) West High School to No. 29.

Andre Maloney wore No. 29 with great distinction in leading Shawnee Mission West to the 2012 Kansas 6A title, the program’s first state championship since 1985.

Midway through the senior year for the lifelong friends, tragedy struck when Maloney suffered a stroke shortly after scoring on a 63-yard reception in a loss to Leavenworth. The Kansas commit died the next day.

“It wasn’t easy,” Hobbs said. “It was very difficult, I found myself at times just being disconnected from the world but through prayer and church I have been building myself back up. I think it has helped make me the player I am today, I would still love to have my buddy around but it does make you strong.”

Hobbs’ strength has been aided by his relationship with Maloney’s family, even five years since the death of

his close friend.

“I am very close with his mom and his grandmother,” Hobbs said. “We’ve helped each other through this whole thing. It was tough seeing his family hurt like that but I grew up with him since first grade so we are all really close.”

Hobbs, who had nine catches in last year’s game against UConn, is 18th among active FBS players with 162 career receptions, 14th with 2,359 receiving yards, moved into 15th place on Tulsa’s career list. He is just 83 yards shy of moving into sole possession of 10th place with NFL Hall of Famer Steve Largent among the players he is on the verge of passing.

All of those catches came while wearing No. 29 allowing him to honor Maloney’s memory.

“I remind myself when I put on that No. 29 whether I am tired or this hurts or that hurts,” Hobbs said. “I just try to remind myself of all the excuses you can come up, they are all irrelevant. I am still alive, I am still breathing.

If there is a team on the Tulsa schedule who can appreciate the emotions Hobbs deals with it would be UConn, who saw junior linebacker Eli Thomas hospitalized after suffering a stroke earlier this season.

This week UConn coach Randy Edsall has mentioned more than once how he is looking for more leadership from the players. Before the season Thomas was a player that Edsall compared to some of the great leaders he has coached in the past.

“You just watch him work and he reminds me of some of the guys that we had before who were outstanding leaders, Alfred Fincher, Ryan Krug, Uyi [Osunde], guys like that. He is one of those guys that all he does is go hard. You watch him during workouts, he is going hard. He’ll backup what he says and he is not afraid to confront people if they aren’t doing it the right way and that to me, from my perspective, when you have a guy like that, it can change the whole dynamic on your team if you don’t have it.”

UConn sophomore safety and leading tackler Tyler Coyle admitted that Thomas’ leadership has been missed by his teammates.

“He was the rowdy type of guy that would be in your face. Even if he liked you, he would be in your face and say it like it is,” Coyle said. “You may not like but you would respect it.”