MOBILE, Ala. – Slippery Rock University running back Wes Hills shined on the opening drive of the Reese's Senior Bowl Saturday at Ladd-Peebles Stadium before leaving the game with an injury early in the first quarter.
 
Hills' first touch of the game was a 21-yard run that nearly resulted in a touchdown. He took the handoff from West Virginia quarterback Will Grier and cut back sharp to the left before gaining the edge and racing down the sideline, stepping out at the two-yard line just before he lunged for the pylon. He got the ball again on the next play and extended the ball out for the end zone, but rolled his ankle in the pile and had to leave the game.
 
Hills officially finished the game with two carries for 22 yards. His 21-yard rush was the longest running play of the entire game and it set up the opening touchdown for his South Team. His 22 yards stood as the most by any back in the game until midway through the fourth quarter.
 

Nice run by Wes Hills of Slippery Rock Univ. to set up the South's TD pic.twitter.com/1Q8bMs3YGW

— Reese's Senior Bowl (@seniorbowl) January 26, 2019

Saturday's game put a cap on a thrilling two weeks for Hills, who saw his NFL Draft stock rise significantly after appearances at the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl and the Senior Bowl. He was named MVP of the NFLPA game last week at the Rose Bowl after rushing for 78 yards and one touchdown on 10 carries and looked poised to have another big game Saturday before the injury.
 
Hills impressed scouts and NFL personnel at both showcase games and accomplished what he needed to this week at the Senior Bowl, where the biggest question surrounding his game was how he would handle catching passes. He excelled all week catching balls out of the backfield and stood out as the top pass protecting running back of the week.
 
"I wish today would have gone a little differently with the injury, but I'm proud of the way I played the last couple weeks," said Hills. "I learned a lot from both of the coaching staffs and everyone involved with the games. I want to thank Slippery Rock, my teammates and coaches for an incredible senior year. It's been a great run and I'm proud to have been able to represent SRU out here."
 
Hills was just the second player in Slippery Rock program history to receive an invite to the Senior Bowl, which is regarded as the premier senior showcase game in the country. The only other SRU player to play in the game was Brandon Fusco, who played in the 2011 event prior to being drafted in the sixth round of the NFL Draft.
 
The next step for Hills is hoping for an NFL Combine invite and preparing for his pro day later this spring.


 
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