Hill Catches On After Steady Climb

Drew Hill kept telling himself the same thing.

He did it over the spring and summer in the Cal State Northridge weight room, while bulking up for the football season.

He did it at a membership gym around the corner from the campus, while tending the counter to earn much-needed cash.

He did it during fall camp, while hoping not to be disappointed.

“All I wanted to do was try to make the traveling squad,” Hill said.

Talk about surpassing expectations.

Pouncing on opportunities created by injuries and eligibility problems that depleted the Northridge receiving corps, Hill has done plenty more than just log frequent-flyer miles.

He has developed into a force.

When the Matadors (4-5, 2-3 in the Big Sky Conference) play host to Idaho State (2-6, 1-4) tonight at 6:05, Hill will strut into North Campus Stadium with sparkling credentials that didn’t seem attainable a few weeks ago.

Hill, a redshirt junior from Rohnert Park in Northern California, leads Northridge with 618 yards receiving and ranks 13th in Division I-AA in receptions per game at 6.2.

He has 35 catches in the past three games for a team-high 56, tying him for seventh place on Northridge’s all-time single-season list. Former Matador David Romines, with 87 receptions last year, holds the school season record.

Not bad for a guy who, until about a month ago, was little more than a safety valve out of the right-side slot in Northridge’s four-receiver offense.

Hill’s 13 receptions for 153 yards at Montana State on Oct. 18 quickly endeared him to Northridge coaches.

“After spring practice, we had Cameron [Perry], Jerome [Henry] and Aaron Arnold,” said Rob Phenicie, Northridge’s offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach. “I didn’t think he would be a 56-reception receiver.”

Later, Brian Comer joined the mix, a sure-handed transfer from California who set school receiving records at Valley College working in the same run-and-shoot scheme first-year Northridge Coach Jim Fenwick used with the Monarchs.

The deck seemed stacked against Hill. But then Perry was declared academically ineligible, Henry and Arnold were sidelined by injuries, and Comer was dropped from the team because he had exhausted his football eligibility.

Comer, the receiver most familiar with Northridge’s passing scheme, led the team with 40 receptions and 476 yards through five games.

“There were spots to fill and I took advantage of it,” Hill said.

He did it by showing an exemplary work ethic and exceptional durability.

“He’s always working hard,” Phenicie said. “He’s one of those guys who gets beat up real bad [in games] but it’s always OK.”

Generously listed at 6 feet and 180 pounds, Hill is neither the fastest nor the most gifted Matador receiver. But he makes up for any shortcomings with brain and brawn.

Need someone to run a crossing pattern over the middle? Someone to execute a quick slant with an angry linebacker in pursuit? Someone to throw a solid block?

Hill is your man. Just ask Matador quarterback Aaron Flowers.

“He’s a tenacious receiver,” said Flowers, owner of virtually every Northridge passing record. “He’s real persistent on the field. He’s not flashy but he’s going to do whatever it takes to get the job done.”

Even when he doesn’t hear an audible.

In Northridge’s 21-13 loss at Montana last week, Hill went in motion on a play that called for him to block an end while the Matadors ran the ball to the other side.

Flowers changed the play to run to the other side, but Hill didn’t hear him. After going into motion and passing Flowers, Hill sensed the switch because the center wasn’t snapping the ball, so he backtracked and the play went off.

Hill, modest and soft-spoken, takes his sudden rise in status with the same steady stride he uses to catch passes. A transfer from Santa Rosa College, he used a redshirt season last year and is still on a partial scholarship, content with having the chance to play.

“I talked to Coach Fenwick about scholarships but I knew there wasn’t a lot of money to go around and I hadn’t proven myself, so I agreed to stay where I was at,” Hill said.

Hill is scheduled to graduate in the spring with a degree in history and expects to return next fall for his senior season. But he is not banking on anything.

“I’m going to work harder this off-season,” Hill said. “I know I’ll have to do that to keep my position.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Idaho State (2-6, 1-4) at Northridge (4-5, 2-3)

When: Tonight, 6:05

Where: North Campus Stadium

Fast fact: The Bengals make their first visit to Northridge.