Auburn Kev 1,653 Posted April 14, 2019 Share Posted April 14, 2019 Quote Hill of a time: Meet the receiver leaving his mark on the Plains ByBrandon Marcello 6 minutes ago AUBURN, Alabama — Seth Williams caught a couple of quick touchdown passes, earned an MVP award and sat on the bench for most of the second half of Auburn’s A-Day game. The sophomore receiver, a breakout star as a freshman in 2018, had plenty of time to reflect and decide which of his four catches for 103 yards was his favorite. He was posed the question by the media after the scrimmage. Seated across the room was Matthew Hill, who had suddenly garnered a crowd of reporters outside the locker room. “I like Matt’s more than mine, though,” Williams said. “… He did a whole Batman, caught the ball. That was my play of the day. Seeing that, I was, ‘Oh, D-Hill. He came out there and caught it.’” Hill was lost on the bench as a freshman last season, but not Saturday. He caught five passes for a game-high 128 yards and two touchdowns. Rave reviews about his catch radius and big plays in preseason scrimmages didn’t lead to more playing time on the field last fall. On Saturday, he showed Auburn fans what might be in store during his first full season on the field: big plays down the field, and explosive runs after the coach on screens. “Hill is a guy that we had high expectations for when we recruited him,” Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said. “That was really good to see him make some plays in front of the crowd.” Many believed it would be Hill, not Williams, to emerge as the top freshman threat in the middle of the field last season. He instead was buried on the depth chart as the program’s single-season leader in catches (Ryan Davis) finished his career, and fellow freshman Anthony Schwartz scorched defenses with his track-style speed. “I’m not going to sit here and lie to you,” Hill said. “I thought I was going to at least play more than I did last year. But, you know, (recruiting) ratings — I feel like it's just something that gets athletes out there to try to get them to a better school, a better program. But really, it's the 3-stars and the 2-stars who are out there making more plays and better plays, sometimes better than 5-stars out there. I don't think it really matters.” By the way, Hill was no pushover. He was rated the nation’s 17th-best receiver as a 4-star commitment in the 2018 recruiting class, according to the 247Sports Composite. Davis exhausted his eligibility last season and Schwartz did not participate in spring practices as he focused on his track career. Schwartz will return to the fold in preseason camp, but Hill appears to have carved out a spot in the slot as Davis’ replacement. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Hill didn’t waste much time making a big impact at the A-Day game Saturday. He caught the game’s first touchdown pass over his shoulder with two defenders in coverage near the goal line. The throw from Malik Willis was practically perfect, providing Hill and the second-team offense a highlight against the first-team defense with a 41-yard touchdown. Hill later caught a 49-yard touchdown pass from Bo Nix as he worked with the first-team offense. He ran a post route and was wide open in the middle of the field to cap a 2-minute drill with a touchdown with 37 seconds remaining in the first half. The redshirt freshman has thought a lot about his upcoming role on the team, and has patterned his style after Davis, the ultimate screen-pass threat on Auburn’s roster the previous two seasons. It’s an interesting take, especially considering all the long balls Hill caught Saturday. “I think more like an R-Dave, the kind of role that he had — just kind of get the ball in space, make somebody miss,” Hill said. “Not just do whatever with the ball, but do what you can and don't try to do too much. Just make a play.” Most of the announced crowd of 41,489 had departed Jordan-Hare Stadium before Hill had, perhaps, his best play of the game. He turned a simple tunnel screen pass from walk-on quarterback Wil Appleton into a 35-yard gain on the second-to-last play of the scrimmage. “You see he has a little bit of acceleration,” Malzahn said. He nearly turned it into a touchdown. “Looser. He’s explosive,” Williams said. “… When it’s time to need a big play, he’s going to make that play. He can bust out and make a long run, too. Y’all seen that toward the end.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WFE12 9,190 Posted April 14, 2019 Share Posted April 14, 2019 There was a tight battle between AU and cousin Clem for him Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dual-Threat Rigby 8,574 Posted April 14, 2019 Share Posted April 14, 2019 They can definitely be WRU if our QBs can maintain their intermediate-deep throw capability they had today. Malik had a few good attempts, Joey obv has the strongest arm and hit a few but I think he missed a streaky Hill at least once. I dont remember all of Bo's attempts, but it seemed to me he made his money from that 10-20 yard range. I think Hill's game is going to work best with Joey personally Im just going to hope that this fire transitions to the field b/c I dont think I can handle seeing another A-Day star receiver flop when its game time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rednilla 5,359 Posted April 14, 2019 Share Posted April 14, 2019 7 hours ago, Dual-Threat Rigby said: They can definitely be WRU if our QBs can maintain their intermediate-deep throw capability they had today. Malik had a few good attempts, Joey obv has the strongest arm and hit a few but I think he missed a streaky Hill at least once. I dont remember all of Bo's attempts, but it seemed to me he made his money from that 10-20 yard range. I think Hill's game is going to work best with Joey personally Im just going to hope that this fire transitions to the field b/c I dont think I can handle seeing another A-Day star receiver flop when its game time I'm more worried about the line than I am about quarterback. We looked good there from the stands, but being that it's only A-Day, I'll reserve judgment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gene Loblaw 636 Posted April 14, 2019 Share Posted April 14, 2019 Been a big fan of his since I saw him in the UA all star game a few years ago. Hope he gets a shot at punt returner too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lala 327 Posted April 14, 2019 Share Posted April 14, 2019 1 hour ago, Rednilla said: I'm more worried about the line than I am about quarterback. We looked good there from the stands, but being that it's only A-Day, I'll reserve judgment. Red, I understand they are performing well. Do u know if this is due to lack or rush end from our d front? That is still my concern for our d Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rednilla 5,359 Posted April 14, 2019 Share Posted April 14, 2019 2 hours ago, lala said: Red, I understand they are performing well. Do u know if this is due to lack or rush end from our d front? That is still my concern for our d Well, supposedly it was 1st team O vs 2nd team D, so that might be all it was, but I'll have to watch the playback on my DVR to make any real projections. Based solely on what I saw live, the only observations I really had were that Gatewood appeared ahead of the others and Matthew Hill looks like the next big thing at receiver. Oh, and Arryn Siposs is a beast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toddc 13,194 Posted April 14, 2019 Share Posted April 14, 2019 Hill was my crush last year and I hope I get him this year! Calling dibs in advance due to past affiliation. 😝 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auburn Kev 1,653 Posted April 21, 2019 Author Share Posted April 21, 2019 'Forget Clemson, forget Alabama': Hill believes AU has best WRs by Brandon Marcello 14 minutes ago AUBURN, Alabama — Auburn believes it can urn itself into a powerhouse at receiver. The program, however, has produced only two 1,000-yard receivers in history (Ronney Daniels in 1999 and Terry Beasley in 1970). All-Americans are few and far between, with four receivers earning first-team honors, the last being Frank Sanders in 1994. Still, sophomore Seth Williams believes the Tigers are on the cusp of becoming “Receiver U” after a solid spring for himself, fellow sophomores and redshirt freshman Matthew Hill. “The whole receiving corps,” Williams said. “It’s just not two of us, it’s not one of us, it’s not like three of us, it’s the whole group. We’re all going to put up numbers this year.” Auburn certainly has a talented group, particularly based on recruiting rankings, heading into the 2019 season. Anthony Schwartz has track-star speed and finished with 357 receiving yards and two touchdowns to go along with 211 yards and five rushing touchdowns as a freshman. Williams was the top middle-of-the-field threat with 534 yards and five touchdowns last season as a freshman. Auburn, however, loses its top two receivers from a season ago. Darius Slayton and Ryan Davis combined for 1,216 yards. Hill played sparingly and did not catch a pass last season, but he agreed with Williams’ stance that Auburn could have one of the better receiving corps in the nation when asked by a television reporter following the Tigers’ A-Day scrimmage. “Like you said, we’re going to be the best receiving corps in the nation,” Hill said. “Forget Clemson, forget Alabama. We’re going to make some plays.” Auburn coach Gus Malzahn last led an offense with a 1,000-yard receiver in 2008 at Tulsa, where Brennan Marion surpassed 1,100 yards in 2007 and 2008 with Malzahn calling plays. He broke the FBS record for yards per reception while averaging 31.9 yards per catch in 2007. Auburn returns speedster Eli Stove, a threat down the field and on jet sweeps, Schwartz, Hill, Williams, Marquis McClain. The Tigers are still searching for a bigger receiver capable of grabbing one-on-one jump balls on the graduate transfer market this summer. “Sky’s the limit, really,” Stove said. “We just got to keep working on things, everything we got to get better at.” Hill figures to replace Ryan Davis, the Tigers’ screen-pass king over the last two seasons. Davis broke the single-season school record for receptions in 2017. Hill finished with a game-high 128 yards and two touchdowns on five catches, and Williams added 103 yards and two touchdowns on four catches (all in the first half) at the A-Day game last week. “It will be exciting to see,” Stove said. “I think we can be one of the best groups on the team. That’s what we strive to be.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAG 33,852 Posted April 22, 2019 Share Posted April 22, 2019 18 hours ago, Auburn Kev said: 'Forget Clemson, forget Alabama': Hill believes AU has best WRs by Brandon Marcello 14 minutes ago AUBURN, Alabama — Auburn believes it can urn itself into a powerhouse at receiver. The program, however, has produced only two 1,000-yard receivers in history (Ronney Daniels in 1999 and Terry Beasley in 1970). All-Americans are few and far between, with four receivers earning first-team honors, the last being Frank Sanders in 1994. Still, sophomore Seth Williams believes the Tigers are on the cusp of becoming “Receiver U” after a solid spring for himself, fellow sophomores and redshirt freshman Matthew Hill. “The whole receiving corps,” Williams said. “It’s just not two of us, it’s not one of us, it’s not like three of us, it’s the whole group. We’re all going to put up numbers this year.” Auburn certainly has a talented group, particularly based on recruiting rankings, heading into the 2019 season. Anthony Schwartz has track-star speed and finished with 357 receiving yards and two touchdowns to go along with 211 yards and five rushing touchdowns as a freshman. Williams was the top middle-of-the-field threat with 534 yards and five touchdowns last season as a freshman. Auburn, however, loses its top two receivers from a season ago. Darius Slayton and Ryan Davis combined for 1,216 yards. Hill played sparingly and did not catch a pass last season, but he agreed with Williams’ stance that Auburn could have one of the better receiving corps in the nation when asked by a television reporter following the Tigers’ A-Day scrimmage. “Like you said, we’re going to be the best receiving corps in the nation,” Hill said. “Forget Clemson, forget Alabama. We’re going to make some plays.” Auburn coach Gus Malzahn last led an offense with a 1,000-yard receiver in 2008 at Tulsa, where Brennan Marion surpassed 1,100 yards in 2007 and 2008 with Malzahn calling plays. He broke the FBS record for yards per reception while averaging 31.9 yards per catch in 2007. Auburn returns speedster Eli Stove, a threat down the field and on jet sweeps, Schwartz, Hill, Williams, Marquis McClain. The Tigers are still searching for a bigger receiver capable of grabbing one-on-one jump balls on the graduate transfer market this summer. “Sky’s the limit, really,” Stove said. “We just got to keep working on things, everything we got to get better at.” Hill figures to replace Ryan Davis, the Tigers’ screen-pass king over the last two seasons. Davis broke the single-season school record for receptions in 2017. Hill finished with a game-high 128 yards and two touchdowns on five catches, and Williams added 103 yards and two touchdowns on four catches (all in the first half) at the A-Day game last week. “It will be exciting to see,” Stove said. “I think we can be one of the best groups on the team. That’s what we strive to be.” Like the confidence . Don’t like the forget Clemson, forget Alabama quote though. You definitely should feel like you are the best though . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weagl1 1,780 Posted April 22, 2019 Share Posted April 22, 2019 I have no doubt the receivers we have are as talented as any in the country but they can’t do it on their own. You first need a line to protect the QB. Then you need a QB that can get them the ball when they are open. That is what will tell the tale as to whether they will be great or not. I sure would like to see something emerge for us that looks like that tall boy from Clemson standing in the pocket and passing the Bammer D silly! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rednilla 5,359 Posted April 24, 2019 Share Posted April 24, 2019 On 4/22/2019 at 9:10 AM, weagl1 said: I have no doubt the receivers we have are as talented as any in the country but they can’t do it on their own. You first need a line to protect the QB. Then you need a QB that can get them the ball when they are open. That is what will tell the tale as to whether they will be great or not. I sure would like to see something emerge for us that looks like that tall boy from Clemson standing in the pocket and passing the Bammer D silly! Well, according to practice reports, the line has gotten a lot better since the beginning of last season (not that they really had anywhere to go but up from there), and if that is the case, I suspect we'll have a QB who can get them the ball. Willis looked good against the first team D, and both Gatewood and Nix made some good throws as well. If I had to guess, I'd say it's probably going to be Gatewood starting and Nix redshirting, but I think it's plenty plausible that any of those three could step up and do well as the starter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aubiefifty 16,624 Posted April 26, 2019 Share Posted April 26, 2019 i watched our spring game one night at midnight after a game of thrones episode. i think either bo or joey will be awesome starting for us. but when i look at our schedule it almost appears like a no win situation..no pun intended. we could have an awesome team with a mediocre record. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McLoofus 35,182 Posted April 29, 2019 Share Posted April 29, 2019 On 4/26/2019 at 12:15 PM, aubiefifty said: we could have an awesome team with a mediocre record. That's the case every season and why I don't base my assessment of any given season strictly on our record. Unfortunately, most of our losses the last 4 seasons- and there have been a lot of them- have not been primarily because we played a superior opponent, and often not because we played a superior opponent at all. Gus has not consistently prepared our team to play. We'll see if it finally changes this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gr82be 14,363 Posted April 29, 2019 Share Posted April 29, 2019 3 minutes ago, McLoofus said: That's the case every season and why I don't base my assessment of any given season strictly on our record. Unfortunately, most of our losses the last 4 seasons- and there have been a lot of them- have not been primarily because we played a superior opponent, and often not because we played a superior opponent at all. Gus has not consistently prepared our team to play. We'll see if it finally changes this year. I'll preface this with the fact that I want Gus to be our coach. There is a saying that applies here though and I'll paraphrase a little bit. "Either the coach must change or the coach must change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McLoofus 35,182 Posted April 29, 2019 Share Posted April 29, 2019 Just now, gr82be said: I'll preface this with the fact that I want Gus to be our coach. There is a saying that applies here though and I'll paraphrase a little bit. "Either the coach must change or the coach must change. Literally couldn't be said any better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeek 16,525 Posted April 29, 2019 Share Posted April 29, 2019 I love the young group of receivers we have and Hill was one of the guys I constantly wanted to see utilized. Hope this isn't just preseason mumbling and they actually use him to his potential. We could have a really deadly passing game if we aren't using an elementary offense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AUwarrior 26 Posted April 29, 2019 Share Posted April 29, 2019 On 4/21/2019 at 1:02 PM, Auburn Kev said: 'Forget Clemson, forget Alabama': Hill believes AU has best WRs by Brandon Marcello 14 minutes ago AUBURN, Alabama — Auburn believes it can urn itself into a powerhouse at receiver. The program, however, has produced only two 1,000-yard receivers in history (Ronney Daniels in 1999 and Terry Beasley in 1970). All-Americans are few and far between, with four receivers earning first-team honors, the last being Frank Sanders in 1994. Still, sophomore Seth Williams believes the Tigers are on the cusp of becoming “Receiver U” after a solid spring for himself, fellow sophomores and redshirt freshman Matthew Hill. “The whole receiving corps,” Williams said. “It’s just not two of us, it’s not one of us, it’s not like three of us, it’s the whole group. We’re all going to put up numbers this year.” Auburn certainly has a talented group, particularly based on recruiting rankings, heading into the 2019 season. Anthony Schwartz has track-star speed and finished with 357 receiving yards and two touchdowns to go along with 211 yards and five rushing touchdowns as a freshman. Williams was the top middle-of-the-field threat with 534 yards and five touchdowns last season as a freshman. Auburn, however, loses its top two receivers from a season ago. Darius Slayton and Ryan Davis combined for 1,216 yards. Hill played sparingly and did not catch a pass last season, but he agreed with Williams’ stance that Auburn could have one of the better receiving corps in the nation when asked by a television reporter following the Tigers’ A-Day scrimmage. “Like you said, we’re going to be the best receiving corps in the nation,” Hill said. “Forget Clemson, forget Alabama. We’re going to make some plays.” Auburn coach Gus Malzahn last led an offense with a 1,000-yard receiver in 2008 at Tulsa, where Brennan Marion surpassed 1,100 yards in 2007 and 2008 with Malzahn calling plays. He broke the FBS record for yards per reception while averaging 31.9 yards per catch in 2007. Auburn returns speedster Eli Stove, a threat down the field and on jet sweeps, Schwartz, Hill, Williams, Marquis McClain. The Tigers are still searching for a bigger receiver capable of grabbing one-on-one jump balls on the graduate transfer market this summer. “Sky’s the limit, really,” Stove said. “We just got to keep working on things, everything we got to get better at.” Hill figures to replace Ryan Davis, the Tigers’ screen-pass king over the last two seasons. Davis broke the single-season school record for receptions in 2017. Hill finished with a game-high 128 yards and two touchdowns on five catches, and Williams added 103 yards and two touchdowns on four catches (all in the first half) at the A-Day game last week. “It will be exciting to see,” Stove said. “I think we can be one of the best groups on the team. That’s what we strive to be.” I can't believe his article didn't mention that the 2007 Tulsa offense that Gus led had THREE 1,000yd receivers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDUBB4AU 5,071 Posted April 30, 2019 Share Posted April 30, 2019 Auburn needs to have some receivers drafted before he talks trash . I like his confidence, however just play and let that do the talking . Au just doesn’t have a strong history in the WR category. Just being honest . Hill and Co need to change that . He better get his ass in gear . If not the media will run all over him for those comments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toddc 13,194 Posted April 30, 2019 Share Posted April 30, 2019 14 minutes ago, JDUBB4AU said: Auburn needs to have some receivers drafted before he talks trash . I like his confidence, however just play and let that do the talking . Au just doesn’t have a strong history in the WR category. Just being honest . Hill and Co need to change that . He better get his ass in gear . If not the media will run all over him for those comments. I like his confidence myself, but yeah you do need to back it up on the field. I’m of the opinion he and others can do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McLoofus 35,182 Posted April 30, 2019 Share Posted April 30, 2019 Every position group on every big time team in college football has guys making quotes like these at this point in the year. There will be more in the summer. I'm sure the beat writers are seasoned pros at coaxing these types of comments out of the players. Yawn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAG 33,852 Posted April 30, 2019 Share Posted April 30, 2019 4 hours ago, McLoofus said: Every position group on every big time team in college football has guys making quotes like these at this point in the year. There will be more in the summer. I'm sure the beat writers are seasoned pros at coaxing these types of comments out of the players. Yawn. I honestly can’t remember the last time the players of Clemson, Bama or tOSU was dismissive of another talented position group. I could be wrong though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McLoofus 35,182 Posted April 30, 2019 Share Posted April 30, 2019 44 minutes ago, DAG said: I honestly can’t remember the last time the players of Clemson, Bama or tOSU was dismissive of another talented position group. I could be wrong though. Yeah, I can't actually promise that literally every group on every team says these things. And it would make sense if the guys from the teams that everyone calls the best aren't saying these things. My point is that comments like these are extremely common. They happen frequently on most teams, and fans get their feathers ruffled every single time. I don't understand how things that happen every single year keep surprising people. But that seems to be the theme of this offseason for Auburn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAG 33,852 Posted April 30, 2019 Share Posted April 30, 2019 1 hour ago, McLoofus said: Yeah, I can't actually promise that literally every group on every team says these things. And it would make sense if the guys from the teams that everyone calls the best aren't saying these things. My point is that comments like these are extremely common. They happen frequently on most teams, and fans get their feathers ruffled every single time. I don't understand how things that happen every single year keep surprising people. But that seems to be the theme of this offseason for Auburn. Yeah I get that as well. All I am saying is don’t be dismissive of other people’s achievements. There are plenty of guys who have proven it on the field and were highly drafted last week, stating they believe they are the best at their position without dismissing their contemporaries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbird 60,292 Posted April 30, 2019 Share Posted April 30, 2019 19 hours ago, AUwarrior said: I can't believe his article didn't mention that the 2007 Tulsa offense that Gus led had THREE 1,000yd receivers. If Gus came out and replicated that this year, the entire college football world would collectively grab their chest and reach for the nitro. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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