Rams cornerback Troy Hill is tested in win over Seahawks - Los Angeles Times
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Rams cornerback Troy Hill is tested in win over Seahawks

Rams cornerback Troy Hill is called for pass interference as he defends against Seahawks receiver Tyler Lockett in the second quarter Sunday.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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From the moment Rams cornerback Troy Hill stepped on the Coliseum field early in the second quarter on Sunday, he could sense Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson eyeing him like a vulture sizing up his prey.

Hill, an undrafted free agent from Oregon who replaced the struggling Coty Sensabaugh on the right side, played sparingly in his only four NFL games, so he knew he would be a prime target of Wilson, an accomplished passer who has thrown for 14,486 yards and 107 touchdowns in four-plus seasons.

But even Hill seemed surprised by the aerial assault that rained down on him during the final 45 minutes of the Rams’ 9-3 victory.

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“I’m an unproven corner, so I know I’m gonna get tested,” Hill said. “But man, they took shots at me. They were picking on me. They threw the deep ball on me four or five times.”

The last of those bombs nearly sank the Rams. The Seahawks took over on their 12-yard line with 1 minute 53 seconds left, plenty of time for Wilson, who needed 3 1/2 minutes to drive Seattle 75 yards in 14 plays for the game-winning score with 31 seconds left in a season-opening 12-10 win over Miami.

“The Seahawks always finish games,” Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson said. “Just like they did last week, when they went all the way down to score.”

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Wilson dropped back on the first play and launched a long pass down the middle to Tyler Lockett, who beat Hill cleanly and made the catch for a 53-yard gain to the Rams 35-yard line.

“He put that pass right on the money,” Hill said of Wilson. “Those guys get paid, too. Of course they’re gonna make plays.”

But Hill salvaged the play by making a desperate lunge for Lockett and grabbing just enough of the receiver’s ankles to trip him up and prevent a game-winning score.

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Two plays later, Rams linebacker Alec Ogletree stripped the ball from Seattle running back Christine Michael after an eight-yard pass play and recovered the fumble, sealing the Rams’ first win of the season.

“He got beat, but he made a big tackle to save a touchdown and gave us a chance,” Rams safety T.J. McDonald said of Hill. “That’s all you can ask for. … He did a good job of standing some guys up and making some plays.”

The Rams secondary, which lost cornerback Janoris Jenkins and safety Rodney McLeod to free agency last winter, was suspect in the exhibition season and in a season-opening 28-0 loss at San Francisco, and the Rams played Sunday without injured cornerback E.J. Gaines.

Sensabaugh started against the Seahawks, but when he was beat down the left sideline by Lockett for a 35-yard gain with five minutes left in the first quarter, Hill was told he would be going in.

On Seattle’s first two possessions of the second quarter, Wilson tested Hill deep three times. The first, a 40-yard completion to Lockett, was negated by Lockett’s offensive pass-interference call.

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The second, intended for Paul Richardson, was batted down by Hill. The third, to Lockett, fell incomplete, but Hill was flagged for defensive pass interference, giving the Seahawks a first down.

Hill played most of the second half and didn’t get burned too badly again until Lockett’s 53-yard gain with 1:33 left.

“I’m not gonna lie to you — I didn’t expect to play that much,” said Hill, a Ventura St. Bonaventure High product who played for the Cincinnati Bengals last season. “I thought it would be a couple of series.

“It was my first real game being out there, and there were some good things, and some bad things. That’s just learning. I think I did all right, but I know I can do better. I have a lot of expectations.”

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Twitter: @MikeDiGiovanna

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