Collie, Hall and UCLA's Brown set for 2nd go-around

Max Hall and Austin Collie are hooked at the hip.

They might as well be twins, Siamese twins, sharing organs and food.

They think alike. They share the same confidence. They're the last guys off the practice field every day. They've formed a very strong bond this past year as both tried to forge every single advantage they could from one another as BYU shifted from the John Beck era to the day of the Cougar sophomore offense.

But Hall/Collie also proved costly at times. Here's a key glimpse at one storyline of the Las Vegas Bowl.

Hall sometimes locks on to Collie too much. Defenders tend to jump those routes. Back in September, UCLA corner Trey Brown, got a pick-six off such a jump on a Hall lock-on pass to Collie.

At times, this year it's been obvious.

At other times, it simply hasn't mattered one iota if Hall burned a laser dot on Collie's helmet before the pass. Defenders simply could not stop it. Even on fourth and 18.

Like Collie did against Arizona's Antoine Cason, UCLA's Brown and Utah's Brice McCain, the sophomore draws an opponent's best cover defender.

And if you add up the totals, Hall/Collie usually won more than they lost.

Hall/Collie have a swagger factor in the double digits. Most of that is because they've primarily camped out together on the practice field the past 11 months.

You might remember the last time BYU and UCLA met in Pasadena, Brown broke up five passes. He got that first-quarter interception against Hall and ran it back 56 yards for UCLA's first touchdown. Until then, with 1:58 left in the first quarter, UCLA's offense hadn't mustered much at all.

That Brown play, plus bone-jarring hits on Hall by UCLA's defensive end Bruce Davis, proved the biggest factors in why the Bruins won.

If you break it down, Brown's pick proved gigantic and pricey in the game. Brown got it against a novice Hall/Collie.

On that TD interception, BYU left offensive tackle Dallas Reynolds, sprinted across the field in an attempt to catch Brown and got injured. Because of Reynolds' injury and subsequent replacements failing at protecting Hall's blindside, Hall suffered some big hit (Davis) and turned the ball over and those turnovers doomed BYU.

TV announcers had it wrong when they blamed Reynolds' left side protection problems for sacks by UCLA's Bruce Davis on Hall the remainder of the game. BYU coaches say Reynolds never gave up a sack while in the game.