BYU football: Max Hall's legacy will be measured Saturday

He's won more games than any quarterback in BYU history. He's thrown for more than 11,000 yards in his career. He's won a Mountain West Conference championship. He's won a bowl game. He's beaten a top 10 opponent. He's beaten Utah.

And yet — fair or not — the way senior Max Hall will be remembered by many Cougar fans may come down to the outcome of Saturday's game against the Utes.

For all that Hall has accomplished in his three-year career in Provo, he's also known for his worst performance, which occurred at Rice-Eccles Stadium a year ago, when he threw five interceptions and lost a fumble in a blowout loss to Utah.

Asked this week about that nightmarish game, Hall didn't seem concerned about themes such as redemption or revenge.

"That left my mind 10 months ago," he said. "We've had a great season so far, and we've had a lot of success. We have one more game left in the conference, and we want to finish off good."

As far as Hall's legacy goes, BYU quarterbacks coach Brandon Doman understands how fans determine greatness.

"What makes a BYU quarterback great? From a fan's perspective, it would be championships. And whether we like to admit it or not, they want us to beat Utah. That's what I want," said Doman, a former Cougar quarterback who led his team to dramatic victories over the Utes in 2000 and 2001.

"The disappointing thing for fans is, we didn't beat Utah and we didn't win a championship last year. The quarterbacks here at BYU that have attained success and have been mentioned as one of the greats has won championships," Doman continued. "As I look back on my experience, and I only played in 16 games, but everybody remembers when we beat Utah. Whether or not they were pretty football games or not, we won the games. That had a significant impact on how people treat me in regards to being a quarterback. That's something the quarterbacks who have been regarded as the greats have accomplished those feats."

BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall has been praising Hall all season, saying that fans probably won't appreciate what Hall has done for the program until after he's gone.

"He's done an outstanding job," Mendenhall said this week. "He's matured, he's grown, his poise has increased and his leadership has (improved). He's just been very, very productive. I wish I had him for three more years."

But Hall is down to his final two games in a Cougar uniform. He knows what needs to go right for BYU to win on Saturday.