PROVO — As John Beck enters his senior campaign and third season as BYU's established starter, he is straddling a line that separates greatness from mediocrity. He has one season — 12 or 13 games — to stand on one side or the other in Cougar quarterback lore.
Beck is caught in a paradox. While he's on pace to finish his career as the No. 2 passer in BYU history behind leader Ty Detmer — needing 2,401 yards to surpass Jim McMahon — his record as a starter in three seasons is an unimpressive 12-14. Beck has never led the Cougars to a conference championship. He's never led them to a winning season. He's never beaten arch rival Utah.
But those are not issues his position coach, Brandon Doman, a former Cougar QB himself, addresses with Beck.
"I don't talk much to John about anything right now. He knows plenty about what's going on," Doman said. "He hasn't won a conference championship and he wants to do it bad. He understands that and he's put in every bit of time possible to do that."
For Beck to clinch a spot among the pantheon of quintessential Cougar quarterbacks, "he has to win a championship. That's the bottom line," Doman said. "There are a lot of variables in there. There are certain conference games that he needs to win that are important to this community. He understands all that."
To be mentioned in the same breath with all of the great BYU quarterbacks of yore, like Detmer, McMahon and Doman, Beck needs to make big plays in critical moments, rack up glossy stats, win key games (including the one against Utah) and, yes, capture a conference championship. Beck is trying to become only the second LDS returned-missionary quarterback to guide the Cougars to a league title. Doman became the first in 2001, when he guided BYU to a 12-win season.
Not that Beck is a stranger to high expectations and big-time success. He led Mountain View High in Mesa, Ariz., to a record of 25-2 in two years as the starting quarterback. As a senior, he directed Mountain View to a state championship.
"He's like a legend at Mountain View," said BYU freshman quarterback Max Hall, another Mountain View High product.
Following his stellar prep career, Beck served a mission. Just months after arriving on BYU's campus in 2003, he was thrown to the wolves, starting against Stanford as a true freshman when Matt Berry went down with an injury. Since then, he's gone through two head coaches, three offensive coordinators and plenty of tough times.
Now, he feels that this is his year.
"After going through the refiner's fire, I feel like we're primed to have a great season," said Beck, who was named the preseason Mountain West Conference offensive player of the year. "I feel very comfortable and confident. I'm in my fourth year in the program. I feel we're going to get the job done. There's nothing new. We've gone through a season under coach (Bronco) Mendenhall and coach (offensive coordinator Robert) Anae. We know what we can do."
Touted as an all-America candidate in 2006, Beck has grown and matured over the years, say his teammates and coaches. Can Beck finally lead the Cougars to a blockbuster season?
"No question," Doman said. "I think that our team has a completely different respect for him than they ever had. And he's been a little different. Now that he's come into his own, his teammates see him in a different way now. He's been able to become a great leader. Plus, he's got things I couldn't do. I could not throw like he can. To me, it's all confidence. Last year, he didn't know if he was good or if his team was any good. He didn't know how good potentially he could be. Now, he realizes that the sky's the limit."
"John has a lot more confidence and we have a lot more confidence in him," said senior tight end Daniel Coats, who has played the last three seasons with Beck. "When he calls a play or whatever he says, we know that he knows from experience, so we go ahead and do it. We think of him almost like a coach, because he knows exactly what he's talking about. He's always been a good leader. But this year, you really feel it. He has this presence about him now, that we're going to do great this year."
Not only is Beck a senior, but he also is surrounded by numerous offensive weapons, like Coats, Curtis Brown, Fui Vakapuna, Jonny Harline, Zac Collie and McKay Jacobson.
Make no mistake, Beck is fully aware of what he needs to accomplish in this, his final season. He admits that trying to live up to the massive expectations of being a BYU quarterback is overwhelming at times.
"I've heard it said that the quarterback position is the toughest position to play in all of sports," he said. "Then when you add playing at one of the most recognizable schools for quarterbacks in the nation, there's a lot that goes into it.
"Because of that, you have a large responsibility as the BYU quarterback. A BYU quarterback is supposed to be nothing less than first-team all-conference. A BYU quarterback is supposed to be nothing less than being up for the awards for the top quarterbacks in the nation. That's what's expected at BYU. If you don't finish with a great season record-wise, that doesn't cut it. A BYU quarterback is supposed to be someone who wins a lot of games and wins the big ones. In tight situations, a BYU quarterback is supposed to make the play. But because of that large responsibility, it definitely makes the person in that position ask a lot of himself. They can't play mediocre games. You've got to step on the field expecting to play your best and wanting to help your teammates play their best.
"I think the biggest thing I would say is, the quarterback position here at BYU is unlike any other, because mediocrity can never be accepted — ever. Whereas a school that doesn't have a huge quarterback tradition, if a guy goes out and completes 50 percent of his passes for 200 yards, and his team wins the game, that's acceptable. Here, we can win the ballgame, the quarterback can complete 60 percent of his passes for 300 yards, but that still might not be where the BYU quarterback needs to be."
Practically every day, when he walks into the BYU locker room or weight room, Beck is not far from Legacy Hall, which honors and glorifies — among other things — the Cougars' prodigious quarterback tradition.
Not that he needs to be reminded about it.
Having grown up following BYU football, Beck can recite the names of all the great Cougar QBs off the top of his head. Beck's head is a file cabinet of information about the quarterback legacy in Provo. One thing is certain, as Beck knows well: The expectations at BYU are as high and awe-inspiring as the Wasatch Mountains that serve as a backdrop for LaVell Edwards Stadium.
"My first couple of years here it was tough not to think about it, just because of how much I knew," he said. "For those guys that come in not knowing the history of the quarterback position here, that might be a benefit. Guys like coach Doman grew up around it, and he knew what was expected, got to be one of them. If you know that tradition, and you can expect a lot of yourself, and then you can go out and make it happen. It's fun because you know who you can stand with. Whereas someone who comes in not knowing, they may have a fantastic career, but when someone says, 'You're one of the great BYU quarterbacks,' they may not understand exactly what that means. For those of us who have followed BYU football, we came into this world to be called a great BYU quarterback. You know who you stand with. That's pretty special."
Beck, of course, wants to stand among the best quarterbacks in BYU history. He has one last chance to cross that line into greatness.
QB RANKINGS
When facing nationally ranked teams in the past quarter-century, BYU starting quarterbacks have produced varying results. Steve Sarkisian is the only QB with a winning record, while current starter John Beck is 0-7 against ranked opponents. Yet Beck has posted comparable stats to — and in some cases, better than — the likes of former Cougar all-Americans Ty Detmer and Steve Young in yardage, touchdowns and pass-efficiency rating. For this comparison, "nationally ranked teams" signifies ranked teams in the Associated Press' end-of-the-season polls.
BYU QB DETMER YOUNG BECK FETERIK SARKISIAN WALSH BOSCO BERRY
Ranked opponents 7 4 7 5 3 5 2 3
Average AP ranking 9.4 11.5 11.4 12.5 19.0 11.4 10.5 12.7
W/L vs. ranked foes 1-5-1 2-2 0-7 1-4 2-1 0-5 0-2 0-3
Yards 2,216 1,382 2,313 1,194 722 1,306 601 337
Touchdowns 13 8 15 5 3 10 2 1
Interceptions 9 10 9 2 2 9 6 7
Yards per attempt 7.8 7.85 7.49 8.12 7.15 6.95 6.6 5.44
Yards per completion 12.6 12.2 12.4 14.4 11.3 12.7 10.9 9.63
Completion percentage 62.0 64.2 60.5 56.5 63.4 54.8 60.4 56.5
Pass efficiency 136.3 133.8 133.6 133.2 129.3 121.1 110.0 84.9
BYU quarterbacks vs. ranked opponents (final AP ranking): Steve Young (1981-1983): Georgia (4), Ohio State (12), UCLA (17), Air Force (13); Robbie Bosco (1984-85): UCLA (7), Ohio State (14); Ty Detmer (1988-91): Penn State (14), Texas A&M (13), Miami (3), Florida State (4), UCLA (19), Penn State (3), Iowa (10); Jon Walsh (1993-94): Colorado State (16), Utah (10), Notre Dame (2), UCLA (18), Ohio State (11); Steve Sarkisian (1995-96): Kansas State (17), Wyoming (22), Washington (18); Kevin Feterik (1997-99): Marshall (10), Air Force (13), Tulane (7), Washington (18), Arizona State (14); Matt Berry (2002-2005): Southern California (1), Boise State (16), Utah (21); John Beck (2003-05): Southern California (1), Boise State (12), Utah (4), Boston College (18), TCU (11), California (25), Notre Dame (9).
E-mail: jeffc@desnews.com