Jim Dalrymple

In the past few days, I’ve noticed some of my friends joining a Facebook group called “Max Hall said what everyone was thinking.” Max Hall is, of course, BYU’s quarterback and the group refers to these comments (taken from the group’s page) that he made after the game last Saturday:

I don’t like Utah. In fact, I hate them — I hate everything about them. I hate their program. I hate their fans. I hate everything. So, it feels good to send those guys home. … I think the whole university and their fans and organization is classless. … I don’t respect them, and they deserve to lose.

This article gives more context, but unfortunately it doesn’t mitigate the inflammatory nature of the remarks. Now, before I comment on anything else, I should say that Hall made these comments right after a tough game during which there was undoubtedly a lot of adrenaline pumping through his system. I know that sort of situation can cause people to say things they would otherwise keep to themselves and, though I think Hall is an idiot for what he did, I can understand making a mistake. (On the other hand, Hall would no doubt like to go pro, but if the emotion of a game prevents him from controlling himself then he’s hardly NFL material.)

In any case, Hall’s comments were a mistake. He admitted as much and was also officially reprimanced for them by the Mountain West Conference. What is much more troubling than Hall messing up is the fact that BYU students have created a group to honor and perpetuate his mistake. Though Hall’s comments reflect poorly on him and his school (which is my own alma mater too), the Facebook group serves to further endorse this negativity and unsportsmanlike conduct. Hall at least had the weak excuse that he was riled up by the game. What excuse do BYU fans sitting at home on their computers have? That they’re ill-mannered jerks?

The comments posted by users on the group’s page vary. Some mention that the University of Utah’s football team was playing a dirty game. Others mention that U football players have said similarly insulting things about BYU before. However, that type of excuse is so flimsy it’s laughable. Both teams played a dirty game and, even if the U had worn brass knuckles onto the field, BYU students should have taken the high road once the game was over. Do they really hate U fans? Seriously? Isn’t BYU all about service and showing Christ-like love? Even to people who chose to get an education at a different university? Ultimately, this whole thing makes BYU look like it’s filled with mean-spirited bullies.

I think it might be useful to imagine this whole episode as an inspirational sports movie in the vein of Rudy or Remember the Titans. On BYU’s side, we have a fifth year senior who didn’t even play very well. Maybe the U deserved to lose, but Hall’s performance hardly justified a win. On the other side, the U had an 18-year-old freshman as their quarterback. As the announcers on the The Mountain said during the game, Jordan Wynn didn’t show that he was a freshman during the first half, but it was readily apparent in the second. Nevertheless, the Utes held BYU at bay the entire game until Max Hall finally got lucky and threw a complete pass to win. Then, despite the win, the much older Hall went on to ice the cake with an insult.

If this were a movie, BYU would — without question — be the bad guy. Most sports movies include some brutish, mean antagonist and BYU fits that bill almost perfectly. The only problem is that Hall will never have to face the U again, so there won’t be a rematch during which the older, more experienced bully is crushed by the resilient underdog. In other words, the U was Rocky. The U was Rudy. The U was every sports movie hero, and BYU ended up playing the part of a stock bad guy.

I think this movie analogy is useful because the Facebook group supporting Hall has 2,065 members at the time I’m writing this. It makes me wonder: does everyone want to come off as a vindictive bastard? Do people like perpetuating the worst parts of a dirty game? Does this group strike any of its members as being somewhat at odds with the values they claim to believe in? I’m not saying that BYU fans (and many of my friends) are bastards or hypocrites, but this particular group certainly makes our school appear to be extremely bad sports.

My guess is that most people aren’t thinking very much about this issue. Rivalries are fun and the conflict they allow can be a much-needed outlet for a lot of people. Perhaps BYU supporters who have joined the group simply feel like they’re showing school spirit. However, I hope BYU students and fans realize that sports rivalries are not worth being a fool over. Going to another school and (passionately) supporting that school’s team doesn’t make someone a bad person. One bad apple shouldn’t be used to generalize the bunch (which BYU must appreciate, in light of Hall’s comments and the unfortunate actions of some BYU fans after the game). This seems obvious, but the existence of a group like this makes it seem like BYU students have lost sight of things that really matter. If the world is actually going to be the campus of BYU students, there isn’t room for hate groups.

Jim Dalrymple is a regular correspondent for Rhombus and writes on various topics.

Max Hall

Dear fans of the University of Utah,

I know there has been a lot of bad blood between us, but I really want to set the record straight and apologize. I know that I sent out an official apology on Sunday, but I didn’t really get the opportunity to truly express my concern for each of you. I honestly had no idea that you were so sensitive. If I would have known that you were going to be so hurt by what I said, I would have eased off.

I thought, after so many years of hateful speech generated from your fans, that you would be able to handle a little bit in return. I mean you are a bunch of tough people, right? The “outcasts” of the state of Utah? The “hardcore” kids that scoff at the hypocritical “righteous living” of BYU fans? I mean, you guys are so hardcore that you don’t even drink your beer. Once again, I had no idea you were all a bunch of softies.

I also had no idea how much you valued my opinion. I would have assumed that you couldn’t care less about what I say. I mean, usually when someone from your school says something, the BYU fans don’t really care. Like back in 2004 when Morgan Scalley said he had hated the “pricks” from BYU. Or how about when Alex Smith said he hated BYU and that we were the most arrogant people. Paul Kruger and Stevenson Sylvester have made similar remarks, yet I’ve never seen a “Morgan Scalley thinks I’m a prick” t-shirt in Provo. Usually when people can dish it out, they can also take it. I’m sorry I made such a rash assumption.

I am very glad that you took the time to remind me about my imperfections though. I thought no one would see me swearing or trash-talking on the sideline. I must have forgotten about the commitment to the “I will be perfect in every way” Honor Code I signed when I arrived at BYU. Silly me. I promise I will be perfect in the future, because if I’m not then everyone at BYU will also see my imperfections and judge me harshly, because everyone at BYU is perfect.

After seeing how you took my comments, I will think twice about saying anything remotely unkind about your university or fans. I will also inform future quarterback Riley Nelson that he should only use love and kindness when speaking of Utah in the coming years. After I was so mean and abrasive this year, I would hate to see what would happen next year if Riley said anything. Most assuredly there would be another Facebook group formed, and heaven knows that means so much.

Once again, Ute fans, I am so sorry about what I said and that I offended you so greatly. Please find it in your hearts to forgive me.

Sincerely,

Max Hall

P.S. I was wondering who actually won the game last Saturday? With all this talk about me and my hateful comments, I have completely forgotten who actually won the game. It sure would be swell if we won. If we did in fact win, that would mean I now have a 2-1 record against you. Does that make me your daddy? I guess I didn’t really perform all that well numbers-wise against you, but the last I checked no one cares that Ben Roethlisberger got statistically outperformed by Kurt Warner in last year’s Super Bowl. Then again, what do I know?

Jake Welch is a sports correspondent for Rhombus. His tongue has recently been permanently planted in his left cheek via surgery.

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Max Hall

There are many things that I love in life and very few that rank above college football. More specifically, I am a diehard BYU football fan.  Before you start to make any judgments, please understand that diehard, in this case, does not equal irrational.

As much as I love BYU football, there is nothing I hate more than the large group of uninformed BYU football fans that exist here in the state of Utah. I could go on for hours about how much this demographic frustrates me, but I will share just one story that sums up this experience.

Last year, after BYU squeaked out a victory over lowly UNLV, a group of brainless wonders started to talk trash to a few of the Rebel fans in our section. I was so embarrassed that I entered the conversation, informing my fellow fans that we should be humiliated that we could barely beat an average UNLV squad. The response I received contained so many bro’s, dude’s and whatever’s that I couldn’t stand to be there any longer.

Now that it is apparent how much I loathe these ignoramuses, I want to clear up one of the largest complaints I have heard from these fans during the offseason.

After a disappointing end to the 2008 season, everyone looked for a scapegoat and the easy target was — and still is — BYU quarterback Max Hall. At first glance, he is the obvious reason for the demise of our Cougars but, if we take a look into the situation, we can see that the problems go way beyond Max. I know he was a major factor in that whole mess, but he is not the only culprit.

If we want to go back to the beginning, it is clear the Cougars’ downhill slide came after the UCLA and Wyoming games. At this juncture in the season, BYU players and coaches were getting a little too comfortable, especially offensive coordinator Robert Anae.

Last season, Anae’s offense was blessed with a bevy of talent. It’s not every year you get a bruising back, superior athletic tight end and a first-rate wide receiver on the same squad. His team was putting up big numbers in consecutive games and it seems like he figured, “Hey, if I run the same four plays the rest of the season, no one will notice. Heck, it worked against UCLA; Why not TCU and Utah?” It’s a darn shame those two teams developed the concept of watching game film.

I wonder if Anae’s bland play calling stems from the Bronco Mendenhall philosophy that his players will beat teams on execution, not talent. I wholeheartedly agree that execution is important, but it is downright silly to do the same thing over and over again and blame lack of success on poor execution.

During the TCU game, we all started to wonder why the Horned Frogs defense seemed to have a copy of our playbook. If they watched any of BYU’s previous games, they knew exactly what was coming. Our offense was more predictable than Mr. Rodgers’ morning routine.

In the following games, BYU was able to scorch opposing defenses on talent alone. Even when teams knew the play action pass to Collie was coming, they couldn’t stop it. This may work against the San Diego States and New Mexicos of the world, but not against teams with talent.

The offensive wheels started to come off against Air Force. They were able to put up good numbers, but were still shaky. The biggest drawback was the injury to Dennis Pitta in the fourth quarter, which proved to be more than consequential again Utah a week later.

Going into the Utah contest, it was widely known that Pitta’s injury was significant. They tried to wrap up his knee and use him as a decoy, but Utah wasn’t fooled. They could easily cover Pitta with a linebacker and move their focus to Collie. Instead of trying to get something out of a battered Pitta, the coaching staff should have subbed in Andrew George and/or Iona Pritchard to balance the offense.

The offense kept pace with surprisingly good balance during the Holy War’s first half, but that all changed when Anae went pass happy after the break. I know the BYU offense is a traditionally pass-oriented system, but when Harvey Unga is averaging 7.7 yards per carry, you have to keep giving him the rock.

Something else that should have been a red flag for Anae: the fact that Utah dropped nine players back into coverage on nearly every second half play. I don’t care who you are, when there are nine guys covering your four receivers, it’s pretty difficult to complete a pass. Anae put Hall in a situation where he was set up for failure — and fail he did.

I don’t doubt that Anae’s offensive system works. Ever since he became offensive coordinator back in 2005, BYU has posted above average numbers. The problem is that he fails to mix up the playbook, leaving players like Max Hall high and dry. BYU had a good thing going with their passing game, but failure to adapt and adjust spoiled it.

This season, look for BYU to have a more balanced offense. With a healthy Harvey Unga and the return of Manase Tonga, the Cougars should be able to run the ball consistently, opening things up for Max Hall and the passing game. If not, count on a repeat of last year’s Utah performance and for a certain Rhombus Magazine writer to call for the termination of one Robert Anae.

Jake Welch is a sports writer for Rhombus Magazine. He slightly disagrees with Robert Anae’s play calling choices. You can hear him rage on Twitter @jraywelch.