‘Had to make sure they felt me’ … Punishing runs by Hill, Bell were fitting end to Florida State romp

The game was all but decided. The Florida State Seminoles held a 21-point lead, there were just a few minutes remaining, and they were putting the finishing touches on a convincing victory.

But those were no ordinary touches.

They were punishing haymakers that put exclamation points on FSU’s 45-24 victory against then-No. 5 LSU.

The first one came about 10 yards into a 17-yard run by redshirt freshman Rodney Hill. As Hill came charging around the right end, LSU safety Major Burns approached from his left and tried to make a diving tackle.

Not only did Hill not go down, but he lowered his shoulder and sent Burns sprawling to the Camping World Stadium turf.

It was a surprising victory for the 5-foot-10, 190-pound Hill, who is just a redshirt freshman and is best known for his blazing speed.

Burns is a 6-2, 193-pound redshirt junior.

“It’s confidence in the weight room, with his strength and his power,” Florida State offensive coordinator Alex Atkins said of Hill. “He’s starting to have confidence the way he runs.”

Four plays later, the Seminoles delivered their final punishing blow. It came at the end of a four-yard touchdown run by tight end Jaheim Bell, and this one was not a very fair fight.

The 6-3, 239-pound Bell had a full head of steam and simply obliterated 6-2, 188-pound cornerback Zy Alexander.

“It’s been going crazy,” Bell said of the reaction from fans and friends to his tough run. “That’s just me as a player. A lot of people asked me why I did that … that’s just how I play. I play very physical. And I just had to make sure they felt me.”

Florida State head coach Mike Norvell loved both runs because they represented the level of toughness and physicality he wants his team to embody late in games. Especially against a highly ranked opponent from the Southeastern Conference.

But it was Hill’s collision that really impressed him.

“Jaheim’s gets a lot of attention — rightfully so,” Norvell said. “But I thought Rodney Hill’s run — that was impressive. He’s not the biggest guy in the world, but you see the mindset and want-to. Rodney’s got a great future. … That was a helluva way to finish off a run.”

The redshirt freshman’s overall performance on Sunday drew praise from his head coach as well. Norvell pointed out that Hill had been battling through a minor injury in recent days, and the Seminoles weren’t sure how many snaps he would even be available to play.

He finished with five carries for 29 yards.

“When he got in there, he made it happen,” Norvell said.

Talk about this story with other die-hard Florida State football fans on the Tribal Council.

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