Utah Utes, BYU football: Hall mouths off about hate of Utah

BYU senior quarterback Max Hall may have known he'd face a reprimand from the league for violating the rule on sportsmanship, but after throwing the winning touchdown pass in BYU's 26-23 overtime win over Utah, he apparently did not care.

Hall didn't hold back his contempt for the opponent.

"I don't like Utah. In fact, I hate them — I hate everything about them," said Hall.

"I hate their program. I hate their fans. I hate everything. So, it feel good to send those guys home. They didn't deserve it. It was our time, and it was our time to win. We deserved it. We played as hard as we could tonight, and it felt really good to send them home and to get them out of here, so it is a game I'll always remember."

A year ago, Hall lost a fumble and threw five interceptions in a loss at Utah. Since that date, he's been the brunt of criticism from both fan bases and media.

On Saturday, Hall avoided throwing an interception but did throw two touchdowns. His 12 completions against the Utes was a career low.

Saturday, speaking to a room full of reporters, he was asked to elaborate on why he has issues with Utah.

"Do you really want me to go into it? I think the whole university and their fans and organization is classless. They threw beer on my family and stuff last year and did a whole bunch of nasty things. I don't respect them, and they deserve to lose."

Asked about the criticism of last year's performance, Hall said those doing the criticizing haven't earned the right to make judgments — including some BYU fans.

"People can say whatever they want to say, but until you're on the field and in that position, you have no room to talk or say whatever.

"So, I really am thankful for our loyal fans and the people who stuck with us and with me and who continue to be positive with us and with me and say good things. That means a lot.

"And for the fans who sit behind screen names on the internet and say bad things about you aren't true fans, and it felt really good tonight to get a win in front of the good fans and the loyal fans and the family and mostly with the seniors — this is a close group of seniors."

e-mail: dharmon@desnews.com