BYU football: 3 overreactions to Cougars’ overtime win over Baylor

1. Jaren Hall belongs in the Pantheon of BYU QB greats

BYU is a good “Quarterback U” program in the western United States, having produced all-time greats at the position such as Ty Detmer, Robbie Bosco, Jim McMahon, and Steve Young.

You can be forgiven for wondering if current Cougars quarterback Jaren Hall belongs with this group after his clutch performance from Saturday night’s win against No. 9 Baylor.

Through only 10 games last season, Hall amassed 2,583 passing yards, 20 touchdowns, and only five interceptions. Among quarterbacks nationwide who played 10 or fewer games, only one tallied more passing yards than Hall — Miami’s Tyler Van Dyke. Hall also rushed for 307 yards and averaged more than five yards per carry for the year.

Hall had three touchdowns and no interceptions in BYU’s early-season win against Utah last year. Later on, he had a five-game stretch with zero picks that led up to the USC win.

Hall was poised under pressure against Baylor on Saturday night, mostly evading a relentless Bears pass rush that was led by sure-fire future NFL defenders such as Siaki Ika, a Salt Lake City native who transferred to Baylor from LSU.

While Lopini Kotoa scored the go-ahead touchdown in the second overtime, this was set up by Hall’s 20-yard pass to Keanu Hill just moments before. Even in the waning seconds of regulation, before BYU’s missed field goal with just eight seconds remaining, Hall connected with Roberts for a 37-yard completion to set up the game-winning opportunity.

Hall is just a junior and has a potentially big year ahead of him, so it’s too early to tell if his performances thus far have earned him a spot next to BYU’s greats. With his big-game poise and versatility, though, the Spanish Fork, Utah native might make a compelling case by season’s end.