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PROVO — Jamaal Williams walked into the postgame media room at LaVell Edwards Stadium, fresh off a 131-yard effort in his final appearance in Provo as a fifth-year senior with the BYU football team.
But the mind of BYU's all-time leading rusher wasn't on the game. It wasn't with the dozen media members assembled to break down a 28-10 win over in-state rival Utah State.
Before speaking, he looked down at his hands. He twisted an item between his fingers, and slowly slipped it on his wrist.
A small, pink flower — the favorite color of a family member who was fighting for her life less than an hour away at Primary Children's Hospital.
Elsie Mahe, the 3-year-old daughter of BYU running backs coach Reno Mahe, continued to slip after a tragic accident at the family's Utah County home last Tuesday, according to mother Sunny Mahe and family spokesman Jeremy Roberts.
"I had hoped that these miracles would preclude the miracle of Elsie's life being preserved," Sunny Mahe wrote. "But her brain is only functioning enough to give her body oxygen and perform very basic functions and those have begun to decline as well."
Williams ran for more than himself Saturday night; he ran for Elsie Mahe — a family member, even if not by blood.
"It's just family. Reno's family, and the whole family is family," Williams said. "When they hurt, we hurt.
"I'm a real family man," he continued. "When one of my family members hurt, I do whatever I can to help them out and let them know I feel the same thing that they feel."
"Reno and his wife said they already went through their grieving stage, but for me, I didn't have one. When I saw them, I just started crying. It hurt me; my family member is going through trials and it hurts me."
Through the emotions of Senior Night, BYU's 21 seniors linked arms and walked across the field at LaVell Edwards Stadium one more time, wearing the alternate black-out uniforms they've worn before.
"There was definitely a different feeling in the locker room after the game with all that's going on with the seniors, the Mahe family, Taysom's injury," BYU quarterback Tanner Mangum said. "A lot of emotions there. It's cool to see how close-knit of a group we are."
There were a lot of emotions going through their minds. Many were former walk-ons, even former tryout cuts like defensive tackle Logan Taele. This would be their final time playing in a stadium that has meant so much to them.
Saturday's game wasn't about BYU or Utah State or preparing for the Cougars' bowl game Dec. 21 in San Diego. It was about family, like the Mahes and the 21 seniors who were moving on from the program.
"They're family, and it's always hard to see your family struggling," Taele said. "I think that's motivation to play for them. We're always thinking about them."
But for Williams, the most emotional moment came minutes later, as the Cougars celebrated a win over the Aggies in the 86th meeting for the Old Wagon Wheel.
Williams presented the game ball to Mahe, told him he loved him, and made an emotional plea to his teammates to support the Mahe family — no matter the news that would come from Elsie's diagnosis.
Then he wept. And he fought back more tears as he described his pain to the media.
"I'm grateful to be here, for the fans and everything they've done, for the support they've given me for everything I've been through," Williams said. "This place is one of a kind, and it has one-of-a-kind people that care about you and want to see you succeed."
Williams knows family. His mother Nicolle, a former UCLA track star, has become arguably the most diehard BYU fan since her son signed with the Cougars as a 17-year-old freshman phenom. She was in the stands Saturday night, walking her son onto the field before the game, and wearing blackout-themed apparel from her usual spot in the stadium.
But she made a last-minute adjustment to her game-day outfit, too: Nicolle Williams put on a bright shade of pink lipstick, the favorite color of Elsie Mahe, and she made an impassioned plea on social media for all BYU fans to add a little bit of pink to their blackout ensemble, for Elsie.
BYU fans responded. In addition to black shirts and modified BYU logos and parkas to brace for the chilly temperatures for the 8:15 p.m. kickoff, splashes of pink filled the stadium.
Elsie's mother Sunny Mahe gave an update to her supporters on Facebook.
"She is comfortable and not in pain," Sunny Mahe wrote. "We will stay by her side and continue to love her forever. We do not have a timeline for how long this transition will take."
Sports can be divisive. Rivalries can get heated. But the beauty of college football is that it can bring people together, and it did that last week. Fans, players and coaches from around the state rallied around the Mahe family and the family of former Utah star Steve Tate and his son.
The community has embraced two families dealing with tragedy and loss, and — while it doesn't erase the pain and heartache of challenges presented to their young children, it can help.
Sometimes, the miracles prayed for by thousands of friends, family and supporters are answered in remarkable ways.
"The miraculous healing we have been praying for is not FOR Elsie, but FROM Elsie," Sunny Mahe wrote in an update to supporters Sunday. "We met this morning with a representative from the hospital organ donation team and feel confident that this is the Lord's will for Elsie — to be a life-saving miracle for others.
"It is not the miracle that we wanted, but it is the one we got. It is still a miracle."
Whether the great miracle comes for Elsie Mahe is yet to be determined. But the family has felt miracles, and the team continues to rally around them in support.
"It's been a difficult time for (Reno) and we understand that," senior Colby Pearson said. "We're all here to have his back.
"It's family; when he is hurting, we feel his pain. Prayers up to him, and we're hoping for the best for him and his family."
