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Like the other two Eastern Michigan players who made our list, Bronson Hill wasn't supposed to make a huge impact on the 2012 season. Fortunately enough, he did.
After the 2011 season when the Eagles went 6-6, many thought that senior Dominique Sherrer and junior Javonti Greene would be getting majority of the handoffs this passed season. Neither of which really got it going, while Hill received minimal playing time up until his first touchdown, a 68-yarder against Kent State.
In a time where coach English needed to make some changes on the field with his personell, Hill was given the ball 28 times in the home matchup against the Toledo Rockets. In one of the most exciting third quarters of football you could ever see, many people looked at this kid and noted that he was the real deal. His 283-yard, 4 TD performance that faithful day was a MAC-best for total rushing yards in a single game that season.
(If you haven't clicked on that link in the previous paragraph, you're doing it wrong.)
(If you've clicked on the link that I've embedded and you think you're just going to sit there and not re-watch every video on there, you're doing it wrong)
To finish up the 2012 season, Hill totalled 140 rushes for 920 yards with 6 rushing TDs. He also caught 12 passes for 208 yards and one score.
A junior this year, Hill is expected to do great things. Maybe not "third quarter against Toledo" great, or even find a cure for every form of cancer- great, but be a very reliable go-to running back for the Eagles in 2013.
I had high hops for Javonti Greene going into last season, he was an absolute playmaker. He struggled out of the backfield, converted to the slot-receiver role, which helped give Hill more opportunities out of the backfield. Now that I'm hopeful that Hill's performance he gave last season wasn't just a fluke month of October. Statistically speaking, Hill isn't all that impressive, but for the talent and potential he possesses, putting him at 38 on our list makes all the sense in the world.
Editor's note: we will give this series a little Fourth of July break and pick it back up Monday with our #37 top MAC football player.