McCoy Hill noticed a specific attitude among his new teammates the day he stepped foot in Cedar City, Utah.
Hill comes to Southern Utah from up the road in Provo. He will try to become the third straight former BYU quarterback to have huge success as a Thunderbird. Unlike former NFL Draft pick Brad Sorensen or Ammon Olsen, an All-Big Sky selection last season, Hill is taking over for a team trying to repeat on a history-making season.
In 2015, Southern Utah used a swarming defense and an offense with a knack for quick scoring strikes to claim its first ever Big Sky Conference championship. But those Thunderbirds lose Olsen, a 6-foot-5, 230-pounder who threw for 3,344 yards and 26 touchdowns before earning a shot with the Indianapolis Colts. SUU also must replace NFL Draft picks safety Miles Killebrew (Detroit Lions, 4th round) and cornerback LeShaun Sims (Tennessee Titans, 5th round) along with Oakland Raiders free agent signee defensive end James Cowser from its league-leading defense.
SUU transfer (BYU) quarterback McCoy Hill/by SUU Athletics
Southern Utah has won 15 Big Sky games over the last three seasons, including seven last fall. SUU has advanced to the FCS playoffs twice in the last three years. Southern Utah adds Hill, a 6-foot-6, 235-pounder who backed up Taisom Hill and Tanner Mangum at BYU and, for a time last spring, was the Cougars’ No. 1 quarterback. All told, SUU returns 17 starters, including seven players — junior outside linebacker Mike Needham, senior wide receiver Mike Sharp, senior tight end Steven Wroblewski, senior offensive guard Evan Ross, senior running back Malik Brown, junior defensive tackle Fesi Va’aivaka, junior defensive lineman Chance Bearnson — who earned all-conference honors last season.
Yet Southern Utah garnered little respect during the off-season. After eight seasons at the helm, Ed Lamb parlayed SUU’s recent success into a new position as the assistant head coach at BYU. Lamb’s departure plus the losses of four major stars resonated. In the preseason polls, the media picked the Thunderbirds to finish seventh in the 13-team Big Sky. The coaches picked SUU and Montana State as seventh; the Bobcats are coming off a 5-6 campaign that included a 34-23 home loss to Southern Utah.
Being overlooked has become a way of life in Cedar City.
“The feeling I got right when I got here was that everybody thrives off of having to work for everything they have earned,” said Hill, a Sandy, Utah native who redshirted at BYU in 2011, went on an LDS mission and returned for the 2014 and 2015 seasons. “I think the reality is it’s not something that is super paid attention to, especially in this state. I’ve learned that these guys preach if we can take care of everything in our control, that’s all we can do. Being overlooked is something that helps us more than it hurts us.”
SUU linebacker Zak Browning being coach by head coach DeMario Warren/by SUU Athletics
On Monday, STATS released its preseason Top 25. Montana (13), Eastern Washington (14), Portland State (17), Northern Arizona (18) and North Dakota (19) all received national rankings. Southern Utah was not among the top 30 vote getters.
Utah is a state beaming with pride for everything from its beautiful landscape to its world-class ski hills to its college sports. BYU, the Utes of Utah and the Utah State Aggies all have dedicated followings. In Ogden, Weber State’s basketball team is a perennial Big Sky power and Jay Hill is rebuilding the Wildcat football program into a dangerous Big Sky threat. Southern Utah is still fighting for relevance even within the Beehive State.
“I think this is the year where if we do well and have a winning season, we will finally earn some respect,” said Needham, a first-team All-Big Sky selection who scored three defensive touchdowns last fall. “Last year, I think we were ranked eighth coming into the year and we had some guys drafted into the NFL. This is kind of our rebound year to see if we are actually a good program. I’m looking for this year to be the year we can make a name in the state and make a name in the conference if we are able to win even without those guys.”
Replacing Killebrew, Cowser and Sims may be next to impossible. Cowser was a three-time All-Big Sky selection and last season’s Big Sky Defensive MVP. He finished his career as the FCS’s all-time leader in sacks (43) and tackles for loss (80), breaking records previously held by former Idaho State standout and future NFL Hall of Famer Jared Allen. He is currently Khalil Mack’s backup at defensive end in Oakland.
SUU linebacker Mike Needham (34) returns after a first team All-Big Sky nod/by Brooks Nuanez
Killebrew was perhaps the most physically intimidating player in the league. The 6-foot-3, 229-pound former high school hurdles champion earned All-Big Sky honors four straight seasons, capping his career with 133 tackles, 75 solo stops, 3.5 tackles for loss, seven pass breakups, two forced fumbles and two blocked kicks to earn All-America honors. He is pushing for a starting spot with Detroit.
The 6-foot-1, 203-pound Sims was among the Big Sky’s best press corners in recent memory. The long, lean, tough-minded player snared two interceptions and broke up 10 more passes en rout to first-team All-Big Sky honors. He is fighting for a spot in the rotation with the Titans, a team that traded up in the draft to select him.
“We see our guys go professional in a lot of different areas and that is fulfilling but to see those guys fulfill their ultimate goal was thrilling,” said Demario Warren, Southern Utah’s defensive coordinator the last two seasons, a member of Lamb’s staff for all eight and now SUU’s head coach. “We always tell our guys that you can do anything from here. To see those guys all graduate and all be able to go on to the NFL was really exciting for our whole program and our whole community.”
At his first Big Sky Kickoff media conference as a head coach, Warren joked about his team’s place among the preseason polls. He reminded everyone who asked that a year before, SUU was picked to finish eighth and wound up finishing first. “We are gaining some respect if you really think about it,” he said.
Needham’s sentiment rings true. What will Southern Utah look like without three NFL players anchoring its defense? Can Hill really keep the pattern of BYU to Southern Utah to the NFL in tact? How will the Thunderbirds react under a first-year head coach?
SUU wide reciever Mike Sharp was named preseason All-Big Sky in 2016/by Brooks Nuanez
Since the Big Sky expanded in 2012, only Montana and Eastern Washington have more playoff appearances out of the conference than SUU. The difference is Montana has made it three straight seasons and 21 of the last 24. EWU has eight postseason berths since 2004 and four playoff appearances this decade, including runs to the semifinals three times and a national title in 2010. In between SUU’s first-ever playoff berth in 2013 and last season’s first-ever conference title was a 3-9 campaign in which the T-Birds ranked dead last in the FCS in total defense.
“We have to do it year in and year out,” Warren said. “It’s no surprise that no one really knows who we are yet. We don’t deserve anything. This is a big year for us if we want to prove ourselves.”
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