BYU's Hall confidently leads team

The last hurrah for Max Hall in a Cougar uniform this season reflects positive traits this August.

His confidence has never been an issue. He still believes he can make every play in the book, even those that crack apart shortly after the ball is snapped. Hall is as positive as a potion salesman. He's worked long and hard since the 2008 Las Vegas Bowl. He believes in his weapons and he stands up for a young offensive line that holds his health in their collective paws.

On Wednesday, Hall had perhaps his best practice, driving the offense on a long-sustained scoring drive without even tossing a pass to talented sophomore McKay Jacobson. Thing is, Jacobson is a go-to guy and, with the secondary shading the speedy Texan, Hall spread it around.

That morning, Hall completed the "team segment" with 12-for-15 for 156 yards and a TD to Dennis Pitta. In the afternoon, he went 5-of-10 for 82 yards and another touchdown pass.

He knows he's got one of the top tight ends and running backs in BYU history in Pitta and Harvey Unga, respectively. He's getting acquainted with how to lead a speed receiver like Jacobson, an adjustment Matt Berry and John Beck needed to make when Todd Watkins was in town.

For Hall, this is his last chance. The nephew of Dallas Cowboy great Danny White, he's got the gene that clicks on when competition is called for. He's wired to win and he's done a lot of it in Provo and back in Mesa's Mountain View High. The NFL may or may not call his name, but he isn't letting that thought detract from his game.

He's got talent. He has a decent arm. His timing can be impeccable at times. He reads defenses and is fearless at standing in the pocket and firing the ball, or waiting for a pattern to develop. At times, this gutsy trait is almost a fault.

Some folks wonder if all those interceptions against Utah left a scar on Hall. They don't know the guy — it only made him angry and more determined.

So far this fall camp, Hall has completed 146-of-193 passes for 75.6 percent. He's thrown for 1,726 yards, 16 touchdowns with 2 interceptions. Granted, some early whistles protect him from sacks, but they've also taken away some completions. And it's practice.

Still, those numbers are impressive. They are as good as he's done as a Cougar in fall camps. His pass efficiency in 11-on-11 drills is 176.05. In other words, he's performing like a BYU senior quarterback who knows what he's doing.