SB Nation - Max Hall

Way Too Early College Football Top 25 for 2010

Jeremy Mauss — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 11:30:12 -0000

The bowl season is not even here yet and the only players to declare for the NFL are on non-bowl teams and most likely not on this list. National Champs has put together a top 25 list with another list of others to be considered for the 2010 season.

The biggest shocker is that Boise State is put second in their rankings while TCU comes in at sixth as the highest Mountain West team. That spot could be swapped depending who wins the Fiesta Bowl, but both of those schools return the majority of their offense. 2010 could be the year that a non-BCS school makes a n even closer run at that national title game appearance.

Neither Utah or BYU are on the list, which is understandable yet a little shocking as well. Utah returns their starting quarterback in Jordan Wynn, RB Eddie Wide, RB Sausan Shakerin, and possibly RB Matt Asiata if he wants to return. The Utes lose most of their receivers but they do have depth there, and they lose a few key offensive lineman. Defensively the Utes lose their top two big play defenders in DB Robert Johnson, LB Stevenson Sylvester, and DT Koa Misi. However the Utes, finally get to bring in the number one JUCO recruit in defensive end James Aiona to go along with the Kruger brothers.

BYU has a question mark if Harvey Unga goes pro, but they automatically lose QB Max Hall and TE Dennis Pitta which will hurt. The Cougars could be starting either true freshman Jake Heaps who is the number one quarterback recruit, or Riley Nelson who has not played significant snaps since his days as the starter at Utah State back in 2005.

Keep on reading to see who is on the very, very early top 25 list for 2010.

2010 Early Bird
Top 25 Preview
Click on each team for breakdown

1. Alabama
2. Boise State
3. Oregon
4. Florida
5. Ohio State
6. TCU
7. Texas
8. Georgia Tech
9. Iowa
10. Miami FL
11. Penn State
12. Nebraska
13. Southern California
14. Cincinnati
15. North Carolina
16. Oklahoma
17. Oregon State
18. Virginia Tech
19. West Virginia
20. Houston
21. Louisiana State
22. Wisconsin
23. Georgia
24. Arkansas
25. Missouri

Others Receiving Consideration
depth charts included

Arizona
Auburn
Boston College
Brigham Young
California
Clemson
Connecticut
Florida State
Michigan
Mississippi
Notre Dame
Pittsburgh
South Carolina
South Florida
Stanford
Tennessee
Texas A&M
Texas Tech
UCLA
Utah

Poll

Will the winner of the Fiesta Bowl be ranked inside the top 3 in the pre season poll?

Early Bowl Links

sroufe — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 03:00:45 -0000

More photos » by Paul Connors - AP

2 months ago: Oregon State quarterback Sean Canfield cocks his arm to throw a pass against Arizona State in the first quarter of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009, in Tempe, Ariz. Oregon State won 28-17. (AP Photo/Paul Connors)

Browse more photos »

After missing Rose Bowl berth, Oregon State ... hungry - Las Vegas Sun
Apology for hate rant wasn't coerced, Hall insists - Salt Lake Tribune
Beavers lead All-Pac 10 picks - Salem Statesman Journal
BYU 1-on-1: OSU a good matchup for Cougars in Vegas - The Daily Herald
BYU coach can vividly remember 1986 game ... - The Oregonian
BYU energized for fifth straight bowl in Las Vegas - Las Vegas Sun
Cougars claim their mood, motivation better this year - Deseret News
Cougars eager for crack at Oregon State - Deseret News
Cougars ready for Las Vegas this year - Salt Lake Tribune
How my dad and Bronco beat BYU - Salt Lake Tribune (Kragthorpe)
Last time OSU beat BYU, ... Mendenhall was playing ... - The Oregonian
Las Vegas Bowl matchup has OSU's interest - Corvallis Gazette-Times
Max Hall want's to look ahead, not to past - Deseret News
BYU's Mendenhall recalls days as player, aide ... - Las Vegas Review-Journal
Mendenhall says he won't be emotional ... - Corvallis Gazette-Times
...No coaches, few players around as OSU accepts bid - The Oregonian
On First Glance: BYU - Building the Dam
Oregon's horrific ... loss to BYU in '06 is a cautionary tale ... - The Oregonian
Representatives say all nice things ... - Corvallis Gazette-Times
Schlabach ranks Las Vegas Bowl as 7th Best - Building the Dam

The Hall saga from their point of view...and it's illustrated!

JazzyUte — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 07:06:57 -0000

Like it's just pure hell on earth at Ute games, don't you know? That's what you're expected to believe if you buy Max Hall's story about last year's game. Which, oddly enough, mirrors his retelling of the Arizona-Arizona State rivalry. How crazy is that?!?

But for the uninformed, I've taken the time to draw out exactly what happened that bloody and horrific November night. Now the truth really will be told...

Fin

Making the Rounds: 12/1/09

Jeremy Mauss — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 01:59:41 -0000

Air Force

The Falcons will have to wait till Sunday before they know if they are going to the Armed Forces Bowl or the New Mexico Bowl. Fellas pack your bags for Texas.

BYU

Max Hall's words are still causing quite a stir across the social media sites and the newspapers. BYU is still in consideration for a BCS bowl, even though very unlikely. Is there too much hate? Max Hall apologizes and is publically reprimended by his comments.

Colorado State

The Rams had a disappointing way to end the season ending on a nine game winning streak.

New Mexico

This past season was a complete mess and finally ended in a blowout loss to TCU, but they did get that one win.

San Diego State

Season finished in a disappointing fashion... again.

TCU Coach Gary Patterson is receiving a nice bump in pay from his previous $1.7 million base in a multi-year extension. This means Notre Dame can remove Patterson from their speed dial. Is Andy Dalton worthy of Heisman consideration?

UNLV

Rebels are having a hard time finding their replacement athletic director. UNLV sent out fired coach Mike Sanford with a victory. WR Ryan Wolfe ends his career as one of the best ever at UNLV.

Utah

Utes looking to go to Vegas Bowl and will play loser of USC/Arizona game. Grading the Holy War game. Ute fans are lashing back at Max Hall.

Wyoming

Freshman QB Austyn Carta-Samuels is named frosh of the year. New Mexico bowl is the most likely site for Wyoming.

Seven Cougars Selected All-MWC 2009

sroufe — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 00:12:15 -0000

More photos » by George Frey - AP

BYU's Jan Jorgensen tackles CSU's Leonard Mason on Sept. 26th. Jorgensen, the "Hammer from Helper", is the MWC all-time sack leader with 29. He has recorded 6.5 sacks and 56 tackles in 2009. (AP Photo/George Frey)

Browse more photos »

Jan Jorgensen, Dennis Pitta, Matt Reynolds, and Harvey Unga were awarded All-Conference First-Team honors today. Andrew George, Max Hall, and Andrew Rich were selected to the All-MWC Second-Team. Additionally, six Cougars earned Honorable Mention status: Coleby Clawson, Brett Denney, Scott Johnson, Brian Logan, Riley Stephenson and R.J. Willing. Johnson and Matt Bauman were named Academic All-Americans last week as well. Congratulations to each of these student-athletes!

It should also be noted that Pitta was one of only three players (Jeremy Kerley and Jerry Hughes, TCU) in the conference to be a unanimous selection. For Pitta and Jorgensen this was their third time on the All-MWC First-Team.

TCU had an incredible 15 selections between the 1st and 2nd teams and nearly swept the player/coach of the year awards. The Utes also finished with six players on the All-MWC First-Team.

2009 ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST FOOTBALL FIRST-TEAM
Offense
Pos.	Player	Cl.	School
QB	Andy Dalton	Jr.	TCU
WR	David Reed	Sr.	Utah
WR	Ryan Wolfe**	Sr.	UNLV
RB	Harvey Unga	Jr.	BYU
RB	Eddie Wide	Jr.	Utah
TE	Dennis Pitta**#	Sr.	BYU
OL	Matt Reynolds	So.	BYU
OL	Erik Cook	Sr.	New Mexico
OL	Marshall Newhouse	Sr.	TCU
OL	Marcus Cannon	Jr.	TCU
OL	Zane Beadles*	Sr.	Utah
PK	Ross Evans	So.	TCU
PR/KR	Jeremy Kerley*#	Jr.	TCU
Defense
Pos.	Player	Cl.	School
DL	Jan Jorgensen**	Sr.	BYU
DL	Jerry Hughes*#	Sr.	TCU
DL	Koa Misi	Sr.	Utah
DL	John Fletcher	Sr.	Wyoming
LB	Carmen Messina	So.	New Mexico
LB	Daryl Washington	Sr.	TCU
LB	Stevenson Sylvester	Sr.	Utah
DB	Reggie Rembert	Jr.	Air Force
DB	Rafael Priest	Sr.	TCU
DB	Nick Sanders	Sr.	TCU
DB	Robert Johnson	Sr.	Utah
P	Adam Miller	Sr.	New Mexico
--Two-Time First-Team Selection *--Three-Time First-Team Selection #--Unanimous Selection
2009 ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST FOOTBALL SECOND-TEAM
Offense
Pos.	Player	Cl.	School
QB	Max Hall	Sr.	BYU
WR	Vincent Brown	Jr.	San Diego State
WR	DeMarco Sampson	Sr.	San Diego State
RB	Joseph Turner	Sr.	TCU
RB	Jared Tew	Jr.	Air Force
TE	Andrew George	Sr.	BYU
OL	Nick Charles	Sr.	Air Force
OL	Peter Lusk	Sr.	Air Force
OL	Caleb Schlauderaff	Jr.	Utah
OL	Jake Kirkpatrick	Jr.	TCU
OL	Zane Taylor	Jr.	Utah
PK	Erik Soderberg	So.	Air Force
PR/KR	Dion Morton	Sr.	Colorado State
Defense
Pos.	Player	Cl.	School
DL	Wayne Daniels	Jr.	TCU
DL	Ben Garland	Sr.	Air Force
DL	Johnathan Rainey	So.	New Mexico
DL	Cory Grant	Jr.	TCU
LB	Tank Carder	So.	TCU
LB	Mychal Sisson	So.	Colorado State
LB	Brian Hendricks	So.	Wyoming
DB	Andrew Rich	Jr.	BYU
DB	Anthony Wright	So.	Air Force
DB	Tejay Johnson	Jr.	TCU
DB	Chris Prosinski	Jr.	Wyoming
P	Brian Stahovich	So.	San Diego State
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR Andy Dalton, Jr., QB, TCU
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR Jerry Hughes, Sr., DE, TCU
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE YEAR Jeremy Kerley, Jr., KR, TCU
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR Austyn Carta-Samuels, QB, Wyoming
COACH OF THE YEAR Gary Patterson, TCU

2009 HONORABLE MENTION
Air Force:	John Falgout, Sr., LB; Brandon Geyer, Sr., P; Ryan Gonzales, Sr., OL; Chris Thomas, Sr., DB.
BYU:	Coleby Clawson, Sr., LB; Brett Denney, Sr., DL; Scott Johnson, Sr., DB; Brian Logan, Jr., DB;Riley Stephenson, Fr., P; R.J. Willing, Sr., OL.
Colorado State:	Adrian Martinez, Sr., OL; Nick Oppenneer, Sr., DB; Cole Pemberton, Sr., OL; Shelley Smith, Sr., OL; Tim Walter, Sr., OL.
New Mexico:	Kendall Briscoe, Sr., DL.
San Diego State:	Davion Mauldin, Sr., KR; Jerry Milling, Sr., LB.
TCU:	Evan Frosch, Jr., TE; Antoine Hicks, So., WR; Jeremy Kerley, Jr., WR; Ed Wesley, Fr., RB; Jimmy Young, Jr., WR.
UNLV:	Jason Beauchamp, Sr., LB; Joe Hawley, Sr., OL; Matt Murphy, Jr., OL.
Utah:	Joe Phillips, Jr., K; Sean Sellwood, Fr., P; Sealver Siliga, So., DL; Mike Wright, Sr., LB.
Wyoming:	David Leonard, Jr., WR; Austin McCoy, So., P; Mitch Unrein, Sr., DL.

2009 Mountain West All-Conference Football Team Announced

Jeremy Mauss — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 21:54:10 -0000

As expected TCU lead the way with all-conference selections, but they ran away with 15 first and second team selections which more then doubles second place BYU with seven spots. The Horned Frogs also took home three of four player of the year awards, and coach of the year -- the one loss was freshman of the year which went to Wyoming's QB Austyn Carta-Samuels.

Some irony in the list is that New Mexico had the first team punter; he did have the most chances to impress. A choice that was not expected when the season started was Utah RB Eddie Wide who ran for over 1,000 yards but was to be the back up before Matt Asiata tore his ACL in the Louisville game.

The offensive player of the year award went to TCU's QB Andy Dalton while the defensive award went to TCU's DE Jerry Hughes. The rest of the awards are after the jump.

2009 ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST FOOTBALL FIRST-TEAM
Offense
Pos.	Player	Cl.	School
QB	Andy Dalton	Jr.	TCU
WR	David Reed	Sr.	Utah
WR	Ryan Wolfe**	Sr.	UNLV
RB	Harvey Unga	Jr.	BYU
RB	Eddie Wide	Jr.	Utah
TE	Dennis Pitta**#	Sr.	BYU
OL	Matt Reynolds	So.	BYU
OL	Erik Cook	Sr.	New Mexico
OL	Marshall Newhouse	Sr.	TCU
OL	Marcus Cannon	Jr.	TCU
OL	Zane Beadles*	Sr.	Utah
PK	Ross Evans	So.	TCU
PR/KR	Jeremy Kerley*#	Jr.	TCU
Defense
Pos.	Player	Cl.	School
DL	Jan Jorgensen**	Sr.	BYU
DL	Jerry Hughes*#	Sr.	TCU
DL	Koa Misi	Sr.	Utah
DL	John Fletcher	Sr.	Wyoming
LB	Carmen Messina	So.	New Mexico
LB	Daryl Washington	Sr.	TCU
LB	Stevenson Sylvester	Sr.	Utah
DB	Reggie Rembert	Jr.	Air Force
DB	Rafael Priest	Sr.	TCU
DB	Nick Sanders	Sr.	TCU
DB	Robert Johnson	Sr.	Utah
P	Adam Miller	Sr.	New Mexico
--Two-Time First-Team Selection *--Three-Time First-Team Selection #--Unanimous Selection
2009 ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST FOOTBALL SECOND-TEAM
Offense
Pos.	Player	Cl.	School
QB	Max Hall	Sr.	BYU
WR	Vincent Brown	Jr.	San Diego State
WR	DeMarco Sampson	Sr.	San Diego State
RB	Joseph Turner	Sr.	TCU
RB	Jared Tew	Jr.	Air Force
TE	Andrew George	Sr.	BYU
OL	Nick Charles	Sr.	Air Force
OL	Peter Lusk	Sr.	Air Force
OL	Caleb Schlauderaff	Jr.	Utah
OL	Jake Kirkpatrick	Jr.	TCU
OL	Zane Taylor	Jr.	Utah
PK	Erik Soderberg	So.	Air Force
PR/KR	Dion Morton	Sr.	Colorado State
Defense
Pos.	Player	Cl.	School
DL	Wayne Daniels	Jr.	TCU
DL	Ben Garland	Sr.	Air Force
DL	Johnathan Rainey	So.	New Mexico
DL	Cory Grant	Jr.	TCU
LB	Tank Carder	So.	TCU
LB	Mychal Sisson	So.	Colorado State
LB	Brian Hendricks	So.	Wyoming
DB	Andrew Rich	Jr.	BYU
DB	Anthony Wright	So.	Air Force
DB	Tejay Johnson	Jr.	TCU
DB	Chris Prosinski	Jr.	Wyoming
P	Brian Stahovich	So.	San Diego State
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR Andy Dalton, Jr., QB, TCU
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR Jerry Hughes, Sr., DE, TCU
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE YEAR Jeremy Kerley, Jr., KR, TCU
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR Austyn Carta-Samuels, QB, Wyoming
COACH OF THE YEAR Gary Patterson, TCU

2009 HONORABLE MENTION
Air Force:	John Falgout, Sr., LB; Brandon Geyer, Sr., P; Ryan Gonzales, Sr., OL; Chris Thomas, Sr., DB.
BYU:	Coleby Clawson, Sr., LB; Brett Denney, Sr., DL; Scott Johnson, Sr., DB; Brian Logan, Jr., DB; Riley Stephenson, Fr., P; R.J. Willing, Sr., OL.
Colorado State:	Adrian Martinez, Sr., OL; Nick Oppenneer, Sr., DB; Cole Pemberton, Sr., OL; Shelley Smith, Sr., OL; Tim Walter, Sr., OL.
New Mexico:	Kendall Briscoe, Sr., DL.
San Diego State:	Davion Mauldin, Sr., KR; Jerry Milling, Sr., LB.
TCU:	Evan Frosch, Jr., TE; Antoine Hicks, So., WR; Jeremy Kerley, Jr., WR; Ed Wesley, Fr., RB; Jimmy Young, Jr., WR.
UNLV:	Jason Beauchamp, Sr., LB; Joe Hawley, Sr., OL; Matt Murphy, Jr., OL.
Utah:	Joe Phillips, Jr., K; Sean Sellwood, Fr., P; Sealver Siliga, So., DL; Mike Wright, Sr., LB.
Wyoming:	David Leonard, Jr., WR; Austin McCoy, So., P; Mitch Unrein, Sr., DL.

A Contentious Cougar

sroufe — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 09:00:14 -0000

In case you're unaware, VTF has a Facebook page where you can also discuss Max Hall's comments and all things Cougars. If you're looking for something more specific in terms of social networking, you might try joining the group, "Max Hall Should Have His CTR Ring Taken Away" or "Max Hall Said What Everyone Else Was Thinking." I guess it depends on your point of view. Perhaps the most successful of these groups (with 7,000+ fans and counting) would be the one endorsed by Block U: "Max Hall Hates Me And Thinks I'm Classless."

This is truly a debate involving two extremes. The reasonable Cougar/Ute fan would surely not egg Jaime Hill's car or punch Jamie Whittingham or douse McKinzi Hall with Polygamy Porter. Those who perform such acts are neither good representatives of the schools' they profess to root for, nor are they symbolic of the state's culture in which most of them reside. They are idiots plain and simple. Gordon Monson was correct in his assessment:

"Maybe, just maybe, everyone can learn from this whole thing. Maybe everyone can learn that there really is too much animosity and antipathy, too much bitterness and nastiness, too much malice and rancor in this rivalry. Too much hatred. Too much hatred mixed with religion. There's guilt on both sides in this state, the red and the blue."

So while Hall's comments were "from the heart," that made his apology on Sunday all the more necessary. But Hall also isn't the one who began this feud (and he assuredly wasn't calling for fans to enact vengeance) and deep down even the non-extremists are involved on some level. A healthy rivalry is extremely fun for everyone, but when it takes a terrible turn toward those altercations in the stands and elsewhere, a line must be drawn. Hopefully we can all recognize where that line is and encourage others - no matter their allegiances - to act respectfully. As VTF member heyjoe! said yesterday:

"I guess we all need that rivalry 'kill switch' where when we realize it is getting a little too personal, or a little too 'real,' then we need to kill it."

That said, my take is that Hall openly stated the opinion of many Cougar fans. (Morgan Scalley did the same for Ute fans in 2004.) As such, Hall has publicly proclaimed what many have wished to express "ab aeterno" but either haven't been permitted or simply haven't had the guts to say. For some then I can see how the QB's words bring relief. (That is still not condoning the unfortunate incidents involving Coach Whittingham's family or anyone else.) Many BYU fans don't want to say such things out of fear of being portrayed as sanctimonious. And rightly so...

You see, the truth is that both sides have impolite and obstinate fans and each group needs to clean it up. But when a BYU fan, or even occasionally a student athlete, acts in an ill-mannered way, he/she is labeled as pharisaic and just another "zoobie" hypocrite. When Ute fan acts likewise, they are seemingly exempt from such criticisms. Somehow for them the behavior is acceptable, because well, it's almost expected.

And that is what is underlying Hall's remarks. There is/was a pent-up frustration caused by an erroneous perspective of BYU fan/athlete - that because of their religion or the university honor code, they are devoid of strong opinions and see themselves as perfect individuals. While I do feel that Hall's post-game comments were unnecessarily broad, maybe we owe Max our gratitude for allowing himself to be castigated on our behalf. In the end his words could contribute to his prestige in our minds nearly as much as his actual performance on the field. And as Dr. Saturday posted:

"Even if the world doesn't approve of your thoughts, Max, at least you were able to express them by the most satisfying means at your disposal."

Relevant Links:

Bronco on Max: "He spoke from his heart" - Greg Wrubell, KSL
Hall comes up big when it counts - Andrew Aragon, Deseret News
Hall's pain a reflection of self-betrayal - Amy Donaldson, Deseret News
Heated rivals no longer allowed to hate each other? - Deadspin
Mad Max's thunder a blunder - Gordon Monson, Salt Lake Tribune
Mad Max will regret post game blunder - Bleacher Report
Max Hall does his part to keep the BYU-Utah hate alive - Dr. Saturday
Max Hall releases apology - Sean Reynolds, Block U
QB Hall's apology says rant overboard - Jay Drew, Salt Lake Tribune
Rivalry continues to thrive - Kurt Kragthorpe, Salt Lake Tribune
The case against Max Hall - Cougar Blue (Daily Herald) Forum
The other side of the holy war - Jeremy Mauss, MWC Connection
There's too much hate in ... rivalry - Gordon Monson, Salt Lake Tribune
Utah fans lash back at Hall - Lindsay Whitehurst, Salt Lake Tribune

Photo Link (Salt Lake Tribune)

Poll

Do you support Max Hall's post-game comments?

Yes! I absolutely agree with Max and think anyone associated with the University of Utah should be treated with the utmost contempt. Ship the Utes to Kamchatka for all I care.

7 votes

Yes, in part. Like Max, I can't stand the U, however he certainly went overboard with his overly broad statement(s).

23 votes

No, in part. Though Hall's remarks were too far-reaching I understand the comments were made after his family had been attacked at RES, etc.

12 votes

No! Hall is a hideous Romulan! I would rather suffer losses to the Cougars a thousand times than acknowledge that Zoobie's opinions.

2 votes

44 votes | Poll has closed

The Other Side of the Holy War: The Incident Toward Coach Whittinigham's Family

Jeremy Mauss — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 02:03:32 -0000

The Utes themselves were getting some special treatment after the BYU game. This photo is of coach Whittingham's wife -- Jamie Whittingham after the game Saturday night. It seems that those classless Utah fans.

These photos show that both sets of fans can be rowdy and cross the line at times.

This first photo shows a BYU fan punching the guy on the far right as Coach Wittingham's wife and daughter look on. Thd look on the daughters face is classic.

Then there is this one where it shows the BYU fan clearly punches an unsuspected Jamie Whittingham.

People need to realize that Max Hall's family is not the only opposing team getting treated bad. I can guarantee during coach Whittingham's press conference this question will rise up and will give an answer along the lines that this is a heated rivalry and people get emotinal, or he will say nothing.

There is a video talking about the incident on KSL but they currently do not allow embeding of that video, here is a link.

---Hat tip: Block U

Max Hall Apologizes, Do you Buy it?

Jeremy Mauss — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 04:30:37 -0000

BYU quarterback Max Hall issued an apology today after ripping the entire University of Utah organization from the football team and the fans calling them 'classless.'

I want to take the opportunity to clarify and apologize for a few of my remarks after the game yesterday.

Last year at RES my family was spit on, had beer dumped on them, and were physically assaulted on several occasions. They had to endure extremely vile comments personally attacking my wife, my mother, other family members, and our religion. They had to be escorted to their car by local police.

As a result of what happened to my family last year this rivalry became personal, and in the heat of the moment yesterday I made comments toward the entire university that were really directed specifically at those fans in RES. It was not intended to be directed at the entire organization and all of their fans and I apologize that it came out that way.

I have the utmost respect for Kyle Whittingham, his coaching staff, and the Utah football players. I apologize to them and other members of the university for my comments.

I'm also sorry if my comments took anything away from my teammates and coaches and our victory Saturday. The BYU-Utah game is a great rivalry, but no one should be treated the way my family was last year. I'm hoping that BYU and Utah fans can take steps to prevent future incidents at the game."

— BYU Quarterback Max Hall

So Utah fans what do you think about the apology?

The one thing that I have a problem with is that he attempts to justify his comments by saying his family was treated so poorly, plus I somewhat agree with Block U who said that if those events happened to Hall's family that they would have been removed from the stadium. That behavior of pouring alcohol or spitting could go unnoticed by security. The actions against is family were terrible, but to try to make them sound ok by blanketing the whole University of Utah family.

This quote I have a hard time believing:

in the heat of the moment yesterday I made comments toward the entire university that were really directed specifically at those fans in RES

Heat of the moment? Those comments were made nearly an hour after the game which included a cooling down period in his locker room. If those words were said in the post game interview then yes heat of the moment counts, but not after a long period of time.

Here is the thing Max about your last comment:

The BYU-Utah game is a great rivalry, but no one should be treated the way my family was last year. I'm hoping that BYU and Utah fans can take steps to prevent future incidents at the game."

What Max should know is that other rivalries across the country have fans who swear and yell at opposing fans, but I do agree about spitting or pouring beverages on people is out of line.

Something that has been under reported in relation to Max Hall's comments are the incident that happened to Utah's head coach Kyle Whittingham's family:

"...some BYU fan allegedly hit Jamie Whittingham, Kyle's wife, in the lip and someone else reportedly sucker punched his son, Tyler, in the massive assembly of bodies on the field afterward."

What about those fans? There has not been a peep from Kyle Whittingham or others from the Utah organization. Now, coach Whittingham will be asked about both incidents from the game and will not go off like Max Hall did.

Max Hall releases an apology

JazzyUte — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 03:49:55 -0000

I want to take the opportunity to clarify and apologize for a few of my remarks after the game yesterday.

Last year at RES my family was spit on, had beer dumped on them, and were physically assaulted on several occasions. They had to endure extremely vile comments personally attacking my wife, my mother, other family members, and our religion. They had to be escorted to their car by local police.

As a result of what happened to my family last year this rivalry became personal, and in the heat of the moment yesterday I made comments toward the entire university that were really directed specifically at those fans in RES. It was not intended to be directed at the entire organization and all of their fans and I apologize that it came out that way.

I have the utmost respect for Kyle Whittingham, his coaching staff, and the Utah football players. I apologize to them and other members of the university for my comments.

I'm also sorry if my comments took anything away from my teammates and coaches and our victory Saturday. The BYU-Utah game is a great rivalry, but no one should be treated the way my family was last year. I'm hoping that BYU and Utah fans can take steps to prevent future incidents at the game."

— BYU Quarterback Max Hall

Accept it?

I have a hard time with this apology because I still do not believe Hall's family was tormented like he says. If they were attacked the way he mentions, those fans should have been removed from the stadium. Yet I saw nothing in the press last year or anything remotely close to substantiated stories that back up Hall's current claim.

I accept it to the point I believe he got caught up in the heat of the moment. I do not accept his personal account of what happened last year and I do believe his true feelings about the University of Utah, its players and fans were on full display during his rant after Saturday's game.