Hill crucial to Cowboys’ future
Although Oklahoma State will not have quarterback Mason Rudolph and receiver James Washington in 2018, the Cowboys can rely on Justice Hill to lead OSU’s rushing attack next season.
ORLANDO — In the final postgame news conference of his Oklahoma State career, Mason Rudolph casually dropped in a line that carries some significant weight for the future of Cowboy football.
“He’ll be the guy coming back to kind of build the team around,” Rudolph said of running back Justice Hill.
Build the team around. Let that sink in.
Hill had the type of game Thursday night in the Camping World Bowl that Cowboy fans came to expect from him during a season in which he led the Big 12 in rushing.
He had 120 yards on 23 carries, and punched in a big touchdown just before halftime. His longest run of the night, 31-yard gain, came on third-and-11 late in the fourth quarter and set up the Cowboys to ice the game with a Matt Ammendola field goal for a 30-21 win over Virginia Tech.
Hill, a sophomore from Tulsa Washington, finished the season with 1,467 yards and 15 touchdowns, with averages of 5.5 yards per carry and 112.8 per game.
Questions abound with the Cowboy quarterback situation now that Rudolph has thrown his last OSU pass. And some wonder how they’ll replace the production of James Washington and Marcell Ateman.
But next year’s Cowboy MVP might already be established in his role.
“Show me a good offense, I’ll show you a good tailback,” OSU offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich said. “And he’s a great tailback, so it’s a great foundation to have. He’s a great kid and a phenomenal player. Just a great football player, and it’s gonna be fun to coach him again and to build our offense around him.”
Aside from the unknown at quarterback, the Cowboys have multiple receivers with differing levels of experience, from Jalen McCleskey, who will be a senior, to emerging younger players such as Dillon Stoner, Tyron Johnson and Tylan Wallace.
The offensive line will have holes to fill, too, with Zach Crabtree, Brad Lundblade and Aaron Cochran graduating. Marcus Keyes will return at one guard spot, and senior Larry Williams remains a candidate for a sixth year of eligibility after having his last two seasons ended by injury.
Senior Shane Richards was listed as the backup right tackle all year, but the Cowboys managed to redshirt him, so he provides a veteran level of experience at tackle. Johnny Wilson and Teven Jenkins both got good amounts of work in pressure situations, and should be viable options at multiple spots.
So, while the offensive line loses some valuable pieces, it shouldn’t be in shambles next year.
With Hill establishing himself as a respected talent on a national scale, the Cowboys will have the key piece in place to create the balance they pursue on offense.
“We talk about balance all the time,” Yurich said. “He allows you to do a lot of different things and stay balanced.
“We want to play with tempo and spread people out, and still have athletes to distribute the ball to when they overload the box to stop your run game. That’s the game of football. It’s not rocket science.”
Hill played this season at 195 pounds, about 15-20 pounds heavier than he did as a freshman. And he says he wants to add another 15, which would help his strength and durability — now and in the future. Not many NFL running backs these days weigh less than 200 pounds.
“If he keeps improving like he has year to year, setting goals in the weight room with Coach (Rob) Glass and developing physically, he's going to have a great career,” Rudolph said. “And then a career after that on Sundays as well.”