Hall leads Cougars in impressive 4 TD performance
Max Hall has had some good games over the years and he’s put up better numbers, but on Saturday, he may have had his best performance as a Cougar.
Hall passed and ran for 4 touchdowns. He used his feet at the right times to make plays including a 20-yard run. He had another huge run even longer, nullified by penalty. His TD pass to Dennis Pitta in the fourth quarter while on the run was one of his best in his long career.
If you saw this game, you’d come away thinking SDSU quarterback Ryan Lindley had a career-type performance against BYU’s defense. He played outstanding.
But Hall was better.
Lindley played against a BYU defense ranked about 50 in total defense nationally. Hall played against a defense ranked 33rd in total defense and No. 11 in pass efficiency defense.
Hall’s pass efficiency in Saturday’s 38-28 win was 164.14. Lindley, throwing to the nation’s No. 3 receiver in Vincent Brown, had a rating of 163.43.
In this game, Hall was smart. He threw the ball away a few times, which he hates to do. He took off running at just the right times when UNM tried to double up on key BYU weapons like Pitta.
“What he did is battle,” said BYU offensive coordinator Robert Anae. This was a hard-fought game and he really brought it out there. He probably didn’t like how conservative I got with the playcalls in the second half, but what he did out there is what you expect a veteran, great quarterback to do, he made plays all night.”
Afterwards, I asked Hall if he was banged up. He was one of the last players to leave the locker room, held because he received treatment by trainers. Hall sighed when asked. He didn’t want to admit SDSU may have got their licks on him.
“They got to me a few times. But I think they’re more sore than I am. Just kidding.”
The win at Q Stadium put the Cougars on a collision course with TCU in Provo next Saturday for the MWC lead by the two teams picked last July to be No. 1 and No. 2.
If Saturday is any indication of where Hall is as a senior heading into this showdown, it is good news for Bronco Mendenhall.
Hall has had two games now without a turnover. He seemingly has complete control over BYU’s many weapons, which include what should be the best tight end ever and the best running back in career yards when he is through, Harvey Unga.
On the night, Hall was 27 of 39 for 346 yards and 3 touchdowns. He saw the field. He used his backs out of the back field, forcing the Aztecs to account for every weapon he had and when they did, he made them pay with key runs.
A pretty good day. Hall was impressive.
Defensively, some of BYU’s big plays given up were painful to watch. But I think BYU underestimated Lindley and SDSU did a great job giving him time with some new wrinkles. Because of that, BYU’s zone coverage was exposed by some fast talent who simply ran in space too long for the secondary to cover.
It will certainly give Jaime Hill some things to work on this week heading into the TCU game.
Jordan Pendelton and Brian Logan made huge plays late in the fourth quarter when SDSU stopped trying to max protect Lindley and go for big plays. What made Pendelton’s performance so impressive is that he was matched up with some decent speed guys in coverage all night. When SDSU abandoned their protection schemes for Lindley, the end of the game is more to what BYU expected from SDSU. The Cougar gameplan centered on stopping SDSU’s run first. The Aztecs gained just 20 net yards on the ground while the Cougars gained 166.
Jeff Call is writing the game story for the paper. He also filed a notebook and sidebar story on SDSU. I just finished my column and did a sidebar on BYU’s defense before posting this blog.
Like UNLV, SDSU has stopped feeding us media guys at their home games. At BYU, they still do the Tucanos buffet in the press box. In other words, as soon as we file all our stuff, Jeff and I are headed out to break some bread. We haven’t done so since breakfast and it’s 10:30 MST.
Of course, few care about our eats.
Later.