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BYU football: Turnovers ultimately led to Cougs' demise

A QB is in the spot light. Either he makes plays or he doesn't. Max Hall destroyed his team and their chances in both the TCU and Utah games and this is an ugly indicator or perhaps a reality check of where Hall really is as a QB. He can make plays but he can also take you out of a game faster than the blink of an eye. Good QB's recognize when they are off and go the run game and short pass game. Not Hall - he simply chucks the ole pig skin up for grabs time after time and each one is worse than the last. Hall has alot of maturing before he is considered a good QB in my book.

I totally agree with All Halls Fault. To put it plainly and bluntly, Max Hall cost his team the chance to beat the Utes. I consider the loss to TCU a team loss - it did not seem like anyone showed up to play in that game. However, the loss to Utah rests squarely upon Hall and his six turnovers. I now wish that the Cougars had another quarterback they could turn to. But, that is not the case and I guess we are stuck with Hall. I only hope his does something next year which will redeem him in at least my eyes.

As a die hard Ute fan it's nice to hear Collie recognize the Utes for being a great team. I give him more credit than I thought he deserved and he is a great player himself.

GO UTES!!!

But not just for poor decision making during plays. The guy has a temper! It's not just a shove in the first half that moves us down the field after his first interception. All season he's been shoving and being a general baby about getting sacked, etc. What a joke. I recommend he read a book called "Emotional Intelligence." He's having emotional hijackings on the field in front of thousands - how embarrassing.

This game was won by Utah not because they were awesome! Their defense was terrible. With that said, when Max Hall throws the ball right to them, it says worse for Hall.

Utah didn't make any spectacular interceptions. They were all right to the guys. Utah should have had two more had the passes not hit them so hard in the chest.

Hall is subpar when it comes to big games. Ya, he beat up on the weaker teams in the conference.

Great QB's win big games.

Collie on the other hand is a BIG TIME receiver!

Congrats Utah

Let's suppose what you say is true; help me figure out what value there is in saying it? I am a psychologist by training, such a comment in a public forum, without any purpose other than to degrade someone is disturbing to say the least.

Re: All Halls Fault

While I can't disagree with your basic premise that Hall cost BYU the game. I don't agree with the idea that no one else bore any responsibility.

Had BYU's defense done more to stop the Utes they still could have won. If the Utes don't score then BYU wins, even with the interceptions and fumble.

Conversely, Brian Johnson was masterful in his control of the game. You could see it in his eyes that he was not going to be the one who lost the game for the Utes.

In the end, however, I feel it was Utah's defense that made the real difference. They put a lot of pressure on Hall. They batted down several passes and kept him out of his comfort zone; which resulted in the interceptions and fumble.

Kudos to Utah's defense, you were relentless!

Thanks Utah ... for a great and memorable season.

Hall is still a great QB.

But everyone has an opinion. don't they.

A glaring fact is missing in this story. Max Hall is a great QB, but surely his "mistakes, or at least some of them were caused simply by good defense on the part of Utah. A good QB just doesn't make these mistakes for no reason, or that he was having an "off" night. Please give credit where credit is due.

Well, hindsight is easy. But if we would have learned from the TCU game we should have concentrated more on the rushing game. That would've cut down on the turnover's. As for BYU's defensive plan, what good does rushing only three do? We rush three and cover receivers with a five yard cushion!??! The defensive scheme needs an overhaul.

Not a close game. Gump logic told you so. Max Hall should take the How to Tackle the Guy Who Picked Off My Pass class.

As a psychologist in training you should realize that sports is a venue where people say and do things based on emotions. Thus, you may need to study a little more. As for degrading Hall, solely emotions nothing more and nothing less, thus they should be taken for what they are worth. As for the Cougs, well they were beaten by the better team. Their game plan was better (played the pass) and beat the Y. Once they were ahead, they were fine to allow the Y to run. When the got into the RED ZONE, that is where the Y feel apart. Oh, Bronco, what an arrogant man...wow I used to have a lot of respect for him, but his arrogance should have been recognized by me and others when he set up his team for failure under his "Quest 4 B.S.". Totally disrespecting everyone in the conference. If I was a QB I would not choose to play for the Y because it is an offense that does not translate to the pros...GO UTES!!!

It was not at all Halls fault. And BYU fans need to get over the Quarter back blame game. Max did all he could and all that the defense would let him do. For you BYU fans that think the UTE defense was not doing their job. The reality of the whole situation is that the UTE defense was Awesome and they has been all season. They created the pressure that forced Hall to fumble and throw poorly. That is the game of Football. BYU only met two real defensive times this year TCU and the Mighty UTE's. Go UTE's!!

The interception at the end of the first half was excusable - miscommunication between tight end and QB: but the personal foul against Hall was not. Furthermore, it wasn't his first personal foul of the season. Hall needs to get his emotions in check if he doesn't want to fail his team again.

I don't recall all these comments as Hall led the Cougars to game-winning drives against CSU, UNLV and AFA.

Unfortunately, I was all too right when I said that Turnovers would be the difference in this game. I had no idea the turnover margin would be that atrocious. I expected BYU to have a couple, but not 6.

What happened to the BYU that beat UCLA?

I hope that we can fill some big shoes on the O-line and at halfback. Defense will hopefully be better next year.

I am a y fan. the UTES are a better team by a long shot. Even without the (BYU) turnovers, they would still win anyway. They have too many weapons. Lets stand behind the Utes in a win at another BCS bowl! I loved watching how the Ute fans support their team; it was great! Thanks for a great experience! Good LUCK!

This game was clearly won by Utah, not lost by BYU.

If Utah's corners made some ESPN type interceptions then you make the case that the corners saved the day for Utah. But from what I heard and have read Hall was making horrible throws.

Could it be that the relentless pass rush of Utahs front four, and the defensive schemes combined to make a mess of Hall's offense? That is my opinion. The defense did what it was suppose to do, which is confuse and rattle the opposing quarterback. Let's hope they can do this in the BCS bowl as well.

Hall is a great college quarterback. He is not the best but neither is he horrible, this game aside. His biggest problem is that he isn't the best at reading defenses and he zeros in on his primary receiver allowing the defense to adjust easily.

If Hall can concentrate on reading defenses like Ty Detmer, even close, and stop zeroing in on his primary receiver but go through all his reads, next year will be alot more fruitful.

In any case, congrats to the Utes, they earned it. Classy team.

And Go BYU! Win your bowl game!!!

I heard Marc Wilson once say after throwing 6 interceptions at "It's hard to throw a foolball through a brown jersey. He was a great QB and his record shows it.

Max Hall had the same problem last night with red.

Utah played a great game and deserves the credit they have earned.

BYU will be back and continue to grow and do well.

Sounds a bit like life.....

After two years of last-minute "miracle" plays to barely eek out wins over Utah, BYU fans are now faced with the reality that their much-worshipped football team is far from perfect. Early in the season, the Cougs got it in their heads that they could "score at will" and that the combination of Hall to Collie (or Reed or Pitta) was unstoppable. It's the entire team's sheer arrogance that cost them the game this year. Bronco would do well to think long and hard about what kind of mental attitudes he is instilling in his players.