Why Alabama trusted Daniel Hill late in the game against Missouri

Alabama football felt comfortable leaning on Daniel Hill to pick up some tough yards against Missouri in the second half before ultimately putting trust in him to reel in a crucial touchdown reception.

Hill is a big back at 6-foot-1 and 244 pounds, and the Crimson Tide’s staff is typically very complimentary of the athletic back from Mississippi. This complimentary attitude continued on Monday when Ryan Grubb was asked why the Tide felt comfortable putting Hill in the game late on Saturday.

“Daniel has been a guy that, unfortunately, has been a little dinged up through the first part of the year,” Grubb said. “I don’t know if there was a guy who we were more optimistic about out of spring ball than Daniel. We’re hoping that that starts to show up a little bit more here and obviously take some of the load off of Jam. But he’s a really bright player. I know Daniel’s a guy that understands pressure pickups. He’s very good at past protection. He’s got incredibly good hands. A lot of people probably don’t know that about Daniel, but he’s a good athlete. I mean, he’s like a state champion, 300 meter hurdle guy, like he’s kind of wild, some of the stuff he can do. So, we certainly trust him can do all of those things.”

Hill has rushed for 39 yards on 12 carries this season to go along with three receptions for 13 yards and a score. He could add another dimension to the Tide’s rushing attack along with Jam Miller and Kevin Riley if he is able to show he can continue to show he can consistently pick up tough yards and be a weapon out of the backfield.