Football Preview 2012

FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 2012 • SECTION B

UPHILL BATTLE 2012 FOOTBALL preview INSIDE

Perry Hills p. 2 C.J. Brown p. 3

CHARLIE DEBOYACE/the diamondback

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THE DIAMONDBACK | FriDAY, August 31, 2012

OFF THE MAT

Hills draws upon wrestling experience to prepare for starting role with Terps

Freshman Quarterback Perry Hills will lean on his experience as a high school wrestler (top, right) and what he learned from coach Sanshiro Abe (bottom, right) when he starts in tomorrow’s season opener against William & Mary. charlie deboyace/the diamondback (left), photos courtesy of lori hills

By Josh Vitale Senior staff writer Before the 2011-12 season, Sanshiro Abe handed out a sheet of paper to each of his wrestlers and asked them to list a set of goals they would like to accomplish on the mat: What kind of performance they want to have, what kind of heights they want to reach, what kind of records they want to set.

When the Pittsburgh Central Catholic High School coach sat down to read the papers, one wrestler’s desired aims seemed to stand out. Wanting an explanation for the response, he tracked down the person responsible for writing it. The senior’s answer was unchanged.

I want to go undefeated, Perry Hills told Abe, and I want to win the state title.

It was a bold statement for a wrestler who had never before won a state championship. But for Hills, it was hardly unusual.

That-self confidence has always been his defi ning trait, the one characteristic that pervades his entire personality. He’s assured in his abilities, calm under pressure and unfazed when he’s the center of attention.

Hills will take that same fearlessness onto Byrd Stadium’s Capital One Field tomorrow afternoon. The Terrapins football team’s newly anointed starting quarterback — pressed into action when incumbent starter

C.J. Brown tore his right ACL in practice two weeks ago — will take his fi rst-ever college snap against William & Mary.

But the freshman won’t be nervous. After years on the mat, Hills has little trouble dealing with pressure. The lights, the opponent, the crowd — they won’t affect him.

After all, Hills knows he’s capable of accomplishing his goals. He achieved his stated aims his senior season, compiling an unblemished 35-0 record and finally capturing that state title.

And now that he’s reached the pinnacle in wrestling, he’s ready to try the same on the gridiron.

“In wrestling, you’re the only one on the mat. All eyes are on you,” Hills said. “Football, I don’t really get nervous for.

Wrestling helped with that a lot. … I wake up and say, ‘I can’t wait for this game.’ Coach has prepared me the right way, and I just can’t wait to show people what I have.”

THE MAT When Hills was 6 years old, he liked wrestling with his sisters. His mother, Lori Hills, wanted him to wrestle with kids his own age.

After seeing flyers advertising Pittsburgh Junior Wrestling, a local youth league, Lori Hills signed her son up.

Three years later, Abe began

coaching Hills.

“He was so talented,” Abe said. “He was a great wrestler, even when he was little.”

It wa sn’t w it hout some growing pains, though. The Terps qua rterback may be even keeled now, but he wasn’t always so calm under pressure. “ W hen he was you nger, maybe a freshman or sophomore in high school, he was well-known for being a crybaby.

I don’t think Perry likes to hear that,” Abe said. “I told everybody, you wait until he gets mentally mature. He’s going to do well.”

It wasn’t immediate, though.

During his final season in the Pittsburgh Junior Wrestling League, a 14-year-old Hills lost in the state quarterfi nals, ending his pursuit of a Junior Olympic state title.

Abe offered Hills a few choice words after the defeat.

“I told him, ‘Listen, you’re going to win the state tournament in high school. You just have to believe in yourself and work hard,’” Abe said. “He kept believing in himself and he achieved that goal. Once he sets his goal, I think he’s going to strive to achieve whatever goal he sets. I think that’s his character.”

“In wrestling, you’re the only one on the mat. all eyes are on you. ... football, I don’t really get nervous for.

Wrestling helped with that a lot.”

Perry Hills Terrapins quarterback

Hills heeded his coach’s advice.

He impressed Abe with his maturation over the latter years of his high school career, and eventually became a one of the top wrestlers in a wrestling-crazed state.

“You just have to prepare harder than a lot of sports.

Wrestling was a really tough sport physically,” Hills said.

“The mental aspect of it really helped me a lot.”

excelled on both sides of the ball.

“When you tackle someone, it’s sort of like a shot in wrestling, so it helped him with his defense,” Lori Hills said.

“With his offense, it helped him become unfazed, un-rattled. …

Walk all over the mat and let’s get down to business.”

Those tendencies have helped him become the quarterback he is today. No matter what he faces on the field, Hills handles it. He uses the same approach he THE FIELD takes on the mat, and the game Wrestling was Hills’ first sport, slows down for him.

It was evident in Hills’ sophbut football was his first love.

He had just fi nished his fi rst omore year at Central Catholic, full year of wrestling, and foot- the alma mater of former NFL ball season was beginning. It quarterbacks Dan Marino and didn’t take him long to figure out Marc Bulger. He spent the fi rst five games as a backup quarexactly what he wanted to be. “‘Mom,’” Lori Hills recalls terback to senior starter David her 6-year-old son saying after Smyers, splitting reps with a his first day of practice, “‘I want junior, Tony Pompeo.

The team was 3-2, and Lori to be a quarterback.’”

Hills played both quarterback Hills said that Smyers was and linebacker during his youth “struggling a little bit, but still football career. And, partly due doing some good things.”

Apparently, not good enough. to his experience on the mat, he

After a 27-3 loss to Woodland Hills, Central Catholic football coach Terry Totten decided it was time for a change.

“It was evident he was the guy,” Totten said. “He just kept getting better every day, more confident and eventually we couldn’t hold him back anymore.”

Four days later, he led the Vikings to a 27-6 win.

“You know what? It doesn’t feel any different out there,” Lori Hills recalls her son saying after the game. “They’re a little bigger, I’m a little bigger.”

THE CHOICE At the start of his junior year, Hills met with his coaches and parents. They wanted to know where he wanted to go to college, and they wanted to help him get there.

The first school on his list?

Maryland.

Lori Hills said her son slowly See HILLS, Page 4

FriDAY, August 31, 2012 | THE DIAMONDBACK

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Over before it began After going all in, Brown left out Connor Letourneau All in. All games. All season.

During the Terrapins football team’s fi rst public scrimmage earlier this month, an injured C.J. Brown wore that slogan on the back of a red T-shirt.

He hobbled up and down the sideline, occasionally adjusted his heavy knee brace and high-fived teammates as they stepped off the field.

It was a poig na nt sig ht.

Four days earlier, Brown was the face of a new era of Terps football. He was the starting quarterback. He was a team captain. And he was arguably the chief reason to watch a team hoping to move past last season’s 2-10 debacle.

By all accounts, he took the pressure in stride. He stayed late after spring practices, learning the finer points of offensive coordinator Mike Locksley’s multi-set offense. He talked regularly with coach Randy Edsall about the future of the program.

He ran as hard as anyone during summer workouts.

Then, an awkward cut in practice took it all away. Brown tore his right ACL during a noncontact drill and required surgery, ending his season before it ever really started.

The entire program was devastated. Not because it was left without a quarterback who had taken a college snap less than three weeks before the season

opener, but because Brown had given his all to an opportunity that never materialized. Like arriving at the restaurant only to realize your blind date didn’t show, he had been stood up.

Of course, even heartbreak can’t slow down a football season. With a game against William & Mary looming, the Terps were forced to move forward. Edsall named true freshman Perry Hills the team’s opening-day starter last week, and the 18-year-old has already exceeded some expectations.

“I’ve been very impressed with a kid that’s a true freshman to pick up all the things he’s picked up,” Edsall said. “I think he’s one of those guys that just goes and prepares very well.

He’s always sitting in that fi lm room studying and trying to do exactly what Mike [Locksley] wants him to do.”

B ut wh at ab out B row n?

While Hills prepares to take the field in Saturday’s season opener, his fellow Pittsburgharea native must watch from the sidelines. He must wonder what could’ve, would’ve and should’ve been.

And, sure, he’ll still have an impact. He’ll lead any way he can. He’ll travel on road trips, advise the younger guys and root for a winning season.

Yet that’s little solace for a player who already paid his dues. After redshirting 2009, Brown played only four snaps in 2010 before breaking his collarbone and sitting out the rest of the season. He made it back,

Quarterback C.J. Brown, once tabbed as the face of the new era of Terps football, will miss the entire 2012 season after tearing his right ACL in preseason practice. charlie deboyace/the diamondback learned offensive coordinator Gary Crowton’s spread attack and appeared in 10 games as a sophomore last year, starting five. Then, when Danny O’Brien bolted in February, Brow n settled into the spotlight.

It was supposed to be Brown’s moment, his chance to prove he’s capable of leading a program.

Now who’s to say he’ll ever get

that opportunity again? After all, a reigning ACC Rookie of the Year had to struggle immensely for him to get it in the first place.

Chances like that don’t come around often.

Odds are decent Hills plays well — or at least holds his own — in the starting role this season.

If he does, Brown would likely be greeted with a headset when he

MORE ONLINE In preparation for the Terrapins football team’s season opener against William & Mary, staff writer Daniel Popper analyzes each ACC team and how they stack up against the rest of the conference. To see where he picks the Terps, visit diamondbackonline.com.

returns from injury. He’d spend his remaining year or two of eligibility as an afterthought.

And even if the freshman does struggle this year, the speedy Ricardo Young is waiting in the wings. The former New Mexico Lobo is sitting out the season due to NCAA transfer guidelines, and could be a nice fit in Locksley’s scheme when

he’s eligible to play.

That’s what makes Brown’s story so heart wrenching. The man who went “all in” may end up leaving College Park emptyhanded. All his hard work may have been for naught.

Brown might want to donate that T-shirt. letourneau@umdbk.com

C.J. BROWN’S CAREER Terrapins football quarterback C.J. Brown has had an up-anddown career since arriving in College Park in 2009. Below is a breakdown of his most pivotal moments.

REDSHIRT

August 2009

With Chris Turner entrenched as the starter, coach Ralph Friedgen decides to redshirt Brown. The Pennsylvania native spends the season as the team’s No. 4 quarterback, and earns offensive scout team player of the week honors twice.

BROKEN COLLARBONE

Sept. 11, 2010

Brown breaks his collarbone late in the Terps’ 62-3 win over Morgan State, and doesn’t play again the rest of the season. He was third on the depth chart — behind Jamarr Robinson and Danny O’Brien — before the injury.

POSITION BATTLE BEGINS

Sept. 24, 2011

With O’Brien struggling, Brown takes several snaps in a 38-7 loss to Temple. He completes all four of his pass attempts, and finishes the game with a touchdown. It’s the beginning of his position battle with O’Brien.

FABULOUS START

Oct. 15, 2011

Brown gets the start over O’Brien and responds with the best game of his young career. He rushes for 162 yards and a touchdown in the Terps’ 56-45 loss to Clemson. He would start all but one game over the rest of the season.

ACL TEAR

Aug. 15, 2012

Brown suffers a season-ending ACL tear during a noncontact drill, leaving the Terps with no quarterbacks on their roster who has taken a college snap.

Coach Randy Edsall names true freshman Perry Hills the starter a week later.

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THE DIAMONDBACK | FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 2012

HILLS From PAGE 2 fell in love with it throughout the recruiting process. He looked at it constantly — checking out the stadium, watching YouTube clips and visiting the campus.

Hills also considered Pittsburgh, Michigan State, West Virginia and N.C. State, among others, but he always knew the Terps were his top choice. The only thing he didn’t know was exactly which sport he wanted to play.

He first visited College Park as a football prospect, but Terps wrestling coach Kerry McCoy made his interest clear early.

The recruiting period for the class of 2012 hadn’t officially begun, but Lori H ills said McCoy had already informed the Hills family it would receive a scholarship offer as soon as it was allowed.

“He was a state champion, one of the most dominant kids in his weight class and we were looking to build some depth and prepare for our future,” McCoy said. “Anyone that reaches that level — especially a Pennsylvania state champion — is someone we’re going to be interested in.”

Though football was his first choice, Hills remained open to wrestling. His top priority was competing at a major program, so if he didn’t receive a football offer from one of the FBS schools he was considering, he would take a wrestling scholarship.

Lucky for Hills, Terps football coach Randy Edsall was interested. The Terps coach and his staff had been keeping an eye on the 6-foot-3, 205-pound passer, inviting him to a Terps football camp the summer before his junior year.

I t wa s o n ly o n e d ay o f football, but Edsall had seen enough. He offered Hills a scholarship that evening.

“His poise and presence are

Quarterback Perry Hills will start Saturday in place of last year’s starter C.J. Brown, who tore his ACL in offseason practice and will miss the entire season. Hills will be playing in his first college game. what impressed me and the staff,” Edsall said. “Talking to the coaches he played against, they raved about him. I have always had good luck with guys who are wrestlers who play football.”

H ills had kept all of his options open up until that point.

He held wrestling offers from Oklahoma and the Terps, and football offers from the likes of Kent State and Miami (Ohio).

But once he had Edsall’s offer, his decision was made.

He committed to the Terps an hour later.

“When I said, ‘What about the

others?’ he said, ‘It’s my choice, my decision, I get to decide,’” Lori Hills recalls. “‘This is the next four years of my life and this is where I want to go.’”

THE OPPORTUNITY Hills had only practiced with the Terps for eight days before the course of his college career changed dramatically.

In a Tuesday night practice, Brown — the incumbent starter and only quarterback on the Terps roster with game experience — suffered a season-ending ACL injury.

S u d d e n ly, H i l l s wa s n o longer fighting for the backup job with fellow freshman Caleb Rowe. With just a few weeks remaining before the Terps’ season opener, Hills was the starting quarterback.

“It’s terrible for C.J. I would never wish that upon him at all,” Hills said, “but I was ready to step in.”

H ills barely had time to tell his parents the news. His mom found out on the Internet, and — other than a brief text message late in the week — she wasn’t able to speak to him about it until Friday.

“It wasn’t supposed to happen this way. It wasn’t supposed to be like this,” Lori Hills said. “I figured he would, you know, get acclimated to the game [first].”

Hills isn’t worried. Anything else would be out of character. He’s drawn rave reviews from coaches for his poise and command of the huddle, and Edsall said he expects him to perform well Saturday.

“If you go in there and look everyone in the eye and be confident about the play you’re saying, everyone’s going to trust you and believe in you,” said Hills, who will become the

charlie deboyace/the diamondback

first true freshman to start at quarterback for the Terps since Latrez Harrison in 1999.

Hills anticipates being blitzed early and often Saturday. The Tribe will want to rattle the freshman, to force him into costly mistakes.

No matter. He’ll line up under center the same way he approached the mat in high school: confident he belongs.

“I don’t really look at it as I’m a true freshman,” Hills said. “I just go into the huddle as a fifthyear senior would.” vitale@umdbk.com