Collie reaping rewards of performances
The nation’s top receiver, Austin Collie is enjoying a star type year.
In Thursday’s Deseret News, I’ve worked on a piece breaking down his abilities and how he stacks up against the best who’ve played at BYU catching passes.
I had a great time visiting with two of the all-time greats on the phone the other day. Matt Bellini, who is remarried and moved to Omaha, and Eric Drage, who moved to Riverton where his oldest son just finished his sophomore season on the football team.
They had some interesting takes on what’s going on. Both are outstanding interviews. Both have three kids. Both are closing on 20 years since they played football for the Cougars. Both caught passes from Ty Detmer, one of the most productive quarterbacks in college football history.
Bellini said he is sold on Bronco Mendenhall and what he’s been doing with BYU football. “It is so good to see BYU football back and winning and competitive.”
I remember covering the stories of Drage and Bellini committing to BYU back in the 80s. They totally lived up to their billing.
You might remember the famous quote about Matt and his brother Mark, who played in the early 80s before Matt became BYU’s all-time leading receiving in catches (204). LaVell Edward was once asked the key to his success during a 10-year period. His reply, “I owe it all to Joy Bellini.”
Matt recently talked to Edwards and says he was amazed that his former coach not only remembered the name of his sister, but spoke to him of where she lived. “The guy is amazing.”
Thursday’s column has Bellin and Drage takes on Collie.
Collie got some pub in the Denver Post today. Here’s a sampling of the first part of that article from Natalie Meisler:
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Austin Collie left on his Mormon mission to Argentina as a tall, lanky wide receiver with a freshly minted 2004 Mountain West freshman of the year award. He returned to the Brigham Young campus in January 2007 almost as a tight end.
Had he spent any more time enjoying the local cuisine in Argentina, he might have launched the second half of his career as an offensive lineman.
“I came back with 30 pounds of stuff (the strength and conditioning coach) didn’t want,” said Collie, the nation’s leading receiver averaging 112.8 yards a game. “Argentina is the meat capital of the world. They know how to cook steak.”
Said coach Bronco Mendenhall: “It was January until August before he recognized his own body.”
Collie, 6-feet-2 and back to his freshman weight at 197 pounds, and a BYU offense that features an embarrassment of riches plays Saturday at Colorado State.
To the outsider, it didn’t appear Collie lost his legs to the two-year sabbatical like so many returning missionaries. He gained 946 yards for second-team All-Mountain West honors, but suffered some nagging injuries through a loss of durability. He worked so hard in the offseason that he reported to camp with a stress fracture below the knee. Collie couldn’t practice until a week before the opener.
Although the No. 17 Cougars hit a snag in their BCS bowl aspirations against TCU, Collie has been the model of consistency. His six consecutive games of 100 yards receiving or better set an MWC record.
You can read this Post story here.
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There’s an interesting “expert” take on the recruiting of Manti Teo, who has climbed up in the rankings as the nation’s top linebacker talent.
Read about Teo here.