The Monmouth University Hawks, led by junior quarterback Brandon Hill, will be looking for their first win of the season when they travel to Lynchburg to take on the Flames this Saturday. Hill, a newcomer to the Hawks, brings an impressive resume into Williams Stadium, but still has a lot to prove.
Brandon Hill passes against Montana State (photo courtesy of www.bozemandailychronicle.com)
In Audubon, New Jersey, Brandon Hill was a high school standout, throwing for 15 touchdowns and 1,739 yards on 113-of-178 passing as a senior. Hill isn’t the only great quarterback to come out of Audubon High School. Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco also played there, and has even worked out with Hill. “Watching Joe Flacco and getting to throw with him many times and see how he works, it definitely gives you something to aspire to,” says Hill of his experience with the Baltimore Ravens’ star. “You’re just trying to learn from him because he’s so smart and a really great quarterback” (APP.com)
Hill appears to be following in Flacco’s footsteps. Flacco transferred from the FBS (University of Pittsburg) to the FCS (University of Delaware), prior to his NFL success. Likewise, Hill began his collegiate career at the University of Massachusetts, which recently moved from the FCS to the FBS. He showed early promise there, going 49-of-84 for 598 yards and 3 touchdowns in his first season, but then an injury to his throwing shoulder sidelined him for all but one play in 2012. He transferred to the FCS independent Monmouth this year, looking for more playing time. With only about three weeks of experience practicing with his new offense, he was given the starting job and immediately was tested by Montana State University, which is ranked #2 among the nation’s FCS teams.
During the Hawks’ 42-24 loss to Montana, Hill displayed some rust, throwing two first-half interceptions, but rebounded by throwing two touchdowns in the 4th quarter, finishing the game with 240 passing yards. With game one under his belt, Hill will be trying to prove that he can master the Hawks’ offensive system as quickly as he was thrown into it.
He will have to do so against a Liberty defense which held Kent State to 17 points last week. This matchup promises to be an exciting one. Who knows, Joe Flacco himself may even be watching the score to see how his workout partner fares.
