LSU sophomore running back Jeremy Hill opened the 2013 season in a news conference issuing an apology to his teammates, his fans and his university.
He ended his season Wednesday in a news conference as the Most Valuable Player of the 2014 Outback Bowl after earning 216 of LSU’s 302 offensive yards and two touchdowns to lead LSU to a 21-14 victory against the Hawkeyes.
“I’m not supposed to give you the MVP trophy, but I think that you are [in the media room] for a very specific reason,” LSU coach Les Miles told Hill in his post-game opening statement. “Congratulations on an MVP trophy.”
The performance marked the first time an LSU running back eclipsed 200 yards since Alley Broussard ran for 250 against Ole Miss in 2004.
Hill may have had a career performance against Iowa, but his dominance is nothing new.
After missing LSU’s first game due to a misdemeanor battery charge for his involvement in an altercation outside of a Baton Rouge bar, Hill quickly reinstated himself as the Tigers’ go-to back, averaging 6.9 yards per carry and tallying 16 touchdowns in the regular season.
“At one point, it looked pretty bad,” Hill said. “We just kept putting pressure on our opponents and they just kept having my back throughout the season, and it led to ending the season on a high note.”
Freshman cornerback Tre’Davious White said supporting Hill was never in question.
“Any time a big-time player goes through things like that, he needs his team to be by him,” White said. “He needed us and we had his back through everything.”
Hill set the tone in the game’s opening drive, in which he ran the ball five times for 56 yards to help set up a 2-yard touchdown run by LSU freshman quarterback Anthony Jennings.
Hill padded the Tigers’ lead in the second quarter with a 14-yard touchdown run in which he carried a defender into the end zone.
Hill sealed LSU’s victory and his status as MVP with three plays in the fourth quarter in which he ran for 28 yards, 20 yards and finally 37 yards into the end zone to give LSU a 21-7 lead with 2:02 remaining.
“If you give Jeremy Hill an opportunity to close out a victory, he knows what that means,” Miles said. “He really put the finishing touches on an Iowa team in this game on the back end.”
As for his future, Hill said he has not even begun to think about whether or not he will return for his junior season or pursue a career in the NFL, saying that was a conversation for when he returns to Baton Rouge.
For now, he’s simply focused on celebrating his first bowl victory with the team that helped him through one of the rockiest times of his life.
“I’m still enjoying this win and I’m just anxious to get back with my guys and celebrate and have a good time with those boys.”