SALT LAKE CITY As BYU prepares for this week's Las Vegas Bowl, Max Hall seems noticeably laid back and at peace.
He's taking the approach that whatever he said about the University of Utah is over. He's not denying he said it. Hate happens. Sorry about that, but he had his reasons.
He went out with a boom against Utah on two counts. First, he threw the winning touchdown in overtime, which was big. Then he went on his well-chronicled rant against his rival university, which was bigger. Hall ended up issuing a public apology.
As they say in the damage control business, he's now moving forward.
Thus, on Tuesday night, he has a great chance to put it all behind him by playing spectacularly against Oregon State in Vegas.
It will be interesting to again see him in a game where his performance is the big story.
If it seems Hall did an unwise thing by speaking out last month, it should be remembered who he is — the quarterback at BYU. That's a weighty job. In fact, it might be the hardest job in Utah. When you're, say, governor, you tick people off. But there's only a small percentage that actually despise you. But if you're the BYU quarterback, you have many Ute fans and alumni who hate (there's that word again) you.
Your own fans aren't too happy, either, if you turn out to be just an average quarterback.
If the governor screws up, he can fix things by lowering taxes. But if you're BYU's signal-caller, and you lose to Utah, you're doomed to misery until your next chance.
I didn't think Hall's outburst back on November 28 was especially outrageous. Sure, a senior should have known better, but a quarterback has to release the pressure somehow. Hall had been brooding over mistreatment of his parents the previous year at Rice-Eccles Stadium, probably planning his response for months. Asked if he hated Utah, he said, in essence, Yeah, 'course he did. So what's the problem?
Utah fans immediately branded it a hate crime.
When you think about it, the steam had to come out in some form. Hall spent three years starting at BYU and never said anything even remotely controversial. He was composed, complimentary and a tad boring.
Finally, after the last regular-season game of his career, he sprung a leak.
But Hall isn't the first quarterback to find a way to release the pressure. Others did it, too, in different ways. John Beck cried in a press conference, saying a loss would ruin his weekend. He also cried with relief when he beat Utah in his final regular-season game.
John Walsh tended to sulk by his locker and could be irritable with reporters, as was Marc Wilson on occasion. Jim McMahon let off steam by acting like, well, himself. He gave Utah fans the finger and pointed at the scoreboard. Once in Hawaii, he dangled from the balcony of his hotel room on the 26th floor, swinging down to the room of a teammate below.
Drew Miller gave up and transferred to Montana. Sean Covey followed rituals, like driving the same exact route for every single game and walking from goal post to goal post and touching them before the game. Steve Young collected dirt from every stadium he visited and put it in a paper cup, then rubbed his hands in it.
Robbie Bosco, who led the Cougars to a national championship, felt the pressure enough to once complain loudly to a reporter, in the cafeteria, "A lot of people have been good to me, but you're not one of them!" (He later graciously apologized.)
Some of those reactions might have been relaxation techniques, superstitions or habits, but all were a way of coping.
BYU quarterbacks are people, not statues.
It's a lot of pressure, especially at a school that has produced not just good but phenomenal quarterbacks.
Most of them ended up maturing and succeeding. Bosco went on to play in the NFL and is still moving the Cougars downfield, working in the school's athletic administration. Young made the NFL Hall of Fame and moved on to become an ESPN analyst. Covey wrote books. Miller threw for 5,900 yards in two seasons at Montana. Beck earned a spot in the NFL. McMahon claimed a Super Bowl win.
All of them learned that with the glory comes pressure that needs a release.
I'm planning on Hall playing well this week — better than his 12-for-32 passing against the Utes.
Good things can happen, once you get some things off your chest.
Maaco Bowl Las Vegas
No. 15 BYU (10-2) vs. No. 16 Oregon State (8-4)
Dec. 22, 6 p.m.
Sam Boyd Stadium
TV: ESPN Radio: 102.7 FM, 1160 AM