The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Hills sustains season-ending injury
11.11.2007 | Football
AUSTIN, Texas -- Longhorn senior offensive tackle Tony Hills, an All-American and Outland Trophy candidate, sustained a fibula fracture to his lower left leg during Texas' 59-43 victory over Texas Tech on Saturday and is out for the season, UT head athletic trainer for football Kenny Boyd confirmed on Monday.
"I'm disappointed that this is how my college career is going to end, but I'm going to do everything I can to help this team for the rest of the season," Hills said. "I think I can still have an impact in the locker room as a leader and I'll be helping coach McWhorter get the offensive line ready to play. I've been so blessed to be a Longhorn and I want to thank the coaches, my teammates and all the fans for their support during my time here."
A member of the Outland Trophy watch list and a preseason first-team All-Big 12 selection, Hills had started 24 straight games and played in 42 career games. He has been the key cog and veteran leader on a young offensive line that has paved the way for the Horns to average 471.6 yards of offense (12th NCAA), 206.4 rushing yards (19th NCAA) and 36.6 points per game (19th NCAA) this season. In his first season as a starter in 2006, UT averaged 391.5 yards of offense (22nd NCAA), 162.6 rushing yards (34th NCAA) and 35.9 points per game (6th NCAA).
With Hills leading the way and the UT line developing together, Texas has rushed for 954 yards and 11 TDs on 152 carries (6.3 ypc) over the last three games. Longhorn running back Jamaal Charles has rushed for 644 yards and seven TDs on 72 carries (8.9 ypc) during that stretch and has 1,366 yards on the season (No. 5 on the UT all-time single-season list).
"We're disappointed for Tony," said Mack Brown. "He was playing as well as any offensive lineman in the country. Not only is he a great player on the field but he also is a tremendous team leader who provides an emotional spark for our team and especially all of the young linemen. We'll miss having him out on the field but it will be great to still have him around, helping those guys out and providing leadership. We all know how resilient and positive he is. He'll get healthy, work hard in his rehabilitation and has a bright future in the NFL and beyond."
