BYU's winningest quarterback of all time found himself in a similar situation as this year’s BYU QBs — battling to be QB1. Here's what he remembers and what he sees ahead.
In 2007, after BYU went 11-2 and blew out Oregon 38-8 in the Las Vegas Bowl, the Cougars faced a challenge. They had to replace an experienced quarterback with someone who hadn’t taken live snaps in Provo before.
Sound familiar?
The departure of Jake Retzlaff following last year’s 11-2 season and a dominating 36-14 win against Colorado in the Alamo Bowl, has BYU scrambling to do the same thing.
When fall camp begins next week, a trio of contenders from a talented quarterbacks room will go after the job — Treyson Bourguet (junior), McCae Hillstead (sophomore) and Bear Bachmeier (freshman).
Going into the 2007 season, BYU quarterbacks coach Brandon Doman had a talented pool too, including Max Hall, a promising sophomore, whose experience was limited to running the scout team in practice. Doman was ready to take a gamble on Hall to succeed John Beck and his 11,021 passing yards and 88 total touchdowns, but he needed to hedge his bet.
“I was the next man up. They told me that. They said ‘We believe in you. You are going to be our guy,’” Hall told the “Y’s Guys” livestream show. “Then, here comes Cade Cooper, Brenden Gaskins, Jacob Bower and Sam Doman. Suddenly, there are six quarterbacks in the room.”
In a quarterback battle, the distance between security and insecurity can be as short as a goal line pass. Worried and confused, Hall approached Doman.
“Hey, I thought you guys believed in me? What’s the deal? What are you guys doing?” he asked. “He said, ‘Max, we do! Now go out and get it.’ Competition is healthy and it makes you better.”
Doman told the quarterbacks that the starting job would go to whoever had the most touchdown drives during spring practice. Hall won the contest and the job. Over the next three seasons, the quarterback with no previous starting experience, threw for 11,365 yards with 101 total touchdowns and his teams went 32-7. Hall remains the winningest signal caller in program history.
“Experience is overrated a little bit, but you have to understand, I had a dang good team around me, especially my sophomore year,” Hall said. “I think we had one of the best defenses BYU has ever had. They were the backbone and that allowed me to make some young mistakes my first year as a starter.”
Again, sound familiar?
As Hall looks at BYU’s quarterback competition, he sees a lot of similarities with experience all over the roster — especially on a defense that ranked No. 1 in the Big 12 last season.
“I think BYU has that type of team this year, where they have a great supporting cast that, if the guy who gives us the best chance doesn’t have a lot of experience, you have a lot of veteran dudes around that can help him,” he said. “They need to find a quarterback that they can trust the most. It doesn’t necessarily need to be the one who can make the biggest and the most plays, but I think they have a team where they need a quarterback who can run the system and be efficient.”
Hall was smart in his evolution from “new guy” to “superstar.” He certainly had the skills, but he handed the ball to Harvey Unga and threw it to guys like Austin Collie and Dennis Pitta. Together, with a powerful offensive line, they all made a tough job look easy — even for a 6-foot-1 guy who had to play on the move so he could see.
“I was always considered a shorter quarterback. When I got to college and the NFL, I couldn’t see over some of the guys that I had in front of me. There was no way,” Hall said. “I had to be really good with my feet in creating angles and windows to throw the football.
“There would be times when I’d move in the pocket and as I’m moving or hitching, I already know where I’m going to throw the ball, I’m just getting my body in position to be able to make the throw.”
Hall completed 903 passes at BYU and of his 1,382 attempts, only 40 ended up in the arms of the wrong team. Looking back almost 19 years, the Arizona high school coach sees it as clear as day — his leadership stripes were earned in practice and long before he took his first live snaps at LaVell Edwards Stadium.
“It was invaluable. Running the scout team was the best thing I could have done because every day I got to go against that defense. I got to go against Kelly Poppinga, Bryan Kehl and David Nixon and all those guys prepared me,” Hall said. “We battled so hard in practice.
“At first, I think they hated me, but I think over time, they started to realize ‘This dude wants to win. This dude is a competitor and I’m glad he’s on my team.’ That eventually transitioned to the field.”
Hillstead and Bourguet have had lots of quality time in practice against a BYU defense that dominated the Big 12 in nearly every category in 2024, including most interceptions (22) and fewest touchdown passes allowed (13). They, along with Bachmeier, have also had a couple of months to process the fact that Retzlaff is no longer standing between them and playing time. It is open season for the starting job.
“A quarterback battle brings excitement. It brings newness. It brings freshness. I think they have a pretty dang good quarterback room. I think it’s going to be a good competition,” Hall said. “They are excited about the battle. I love what (BYU) is doing offensively right now. I was able to spend a little time with them in the spring and summer. I like what they are doing.”
Expecting any of the quarterbacks to produce the numbers Hall and Beck did would be grossly unfair. The two stand second and third, respectively, behind Heisman Trophy winner Ty Detmer in total offense. However, considering the supporting cast they inherit, remaining a conference contender with a shot to win it, has Hall believing they can — and that too sounds familiar.
Dave McCann is a sportswriter and columnist for the Deseret News and is a play-by-play announcer and show host for BYUtv/ESPN+. He co-hosts “Y’s Guys” at ysguys.com and is the author of the children’s book “C is for Cougar,” available at deseretbook.com
Category: General Sports
