CSU QB Collin Hill Relives Marcus Epps’ Blindside Blast

* This story was published back in July of 2019. Marcus Epps is now a safety for the Las Vegas Raiders. Collin Hill played four years in Fort Collins before transferring to South Carolina. He was briefly signed as an undrafted free agent by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2021.

LAS VEGAS, Nev., – Collin Hill never even glanced to his left.

Standing in the shotgun, hands out in front of him in preparation for the snap, Colorado State’s quarterback had his mind made up. He was throwing a quick out to the right.

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The Rams were trailing Border War rival Wyoming, 10-0. Hill said he needed to make a play.

“I thought I had a 12-yard completion for a first down,” Hill joked Wednesday morning at Mountain West Media Days in Las Vegas. “It was an easy play. I pump faked once …”

Boom.

Cowboys safety Marcus Epps was lined up over the slot receiver on Hill’s left side. Right before the snap, Wyoming’s senior captain crept toward the line as if he was about to blitz.

Hill didn’t know if Epps was bluffing or not – he never even looked in his direction.

Epps came off the edge untouched, blindsiding Hill with a blow to his lower back, right below his jersey number. Hill bent in half – the wrong way – and the ball popped up into the air out of his right hand and into the diving arms of UW defensive tackle Ravontae Holt.

Hill sat up on his rear end and watched Holt and the Cowboys celebrating 20 yards behind him.

He then dropped his head and slowly peeled himself up off the ground, looking over to his bench with a bewildered look on his face.

“He put a good lick on me,” Hill recalled.

The Cowboys capitalized on the next drive when Sean Chambers took the snap and bolted 12 yards untouched for the score. Wyoming went on to win the game, 34-21.

Hill agreed that was a turning point in that one. Wyoming went up by three scores. The Rams showed some life late, but it was too late.

Hill said that hit stung in more ways than one.

“That one was up there,” he said when asked if he had ever been hit that hard. “I was pretty sore for a while; I’m not going to lie. It was a big hit. It’s definitely up there."