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From Mark May's helmet sticker to Kirk Herbstreit's applause for BYU's "unstoppable" offense, the talking heads at Bristol University seem more than happy to give credit where credit is due this week.
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I included a bit from ESPN.com "non-BCS watcher/blogger" Graham Watson in my last entry--here's what she added late this afternoon:
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"My prediction: UCLA 28, BYU 17
Actual score: BYU 59, UCLA 0
My take: I was listening to this game on Sirius in my rental car and all I could do was laugh. What flipped the switch in BYU, I don't know. But Saturday's beatdown of UCLA was pretty awesome to listen to. I know, I know, I picked them to lose. Really, I just wanted to see this team show that it belonged in the BCS buster conversation. I don't presume to think that my prediction helped, but all the negative press the Washington game got during the past week was probably a big motivation for BYU to show that it belonged. It did just that. No doubt about it."
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In ESPN.com's Week 3 bowl picks, Mark Schlabach picks BYU to face Georgia in the Sugar Bowl, while Bruce Feldman has BYU in the Poinsettia Bowl v. UConn. Feldman picks East Carolina as the "BCS Buster" in the Fiesta Bowl (v. Auburn). Both guys like Utah to play Arizona in the Las Vegas Bowl.
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Here's BYU's release on the national weekly award for Max Hall:
PROVO, Utah (Sept. 14, 2008) — The Walter Camp Football Foundation announced today that BYU quarterback Max Hall has been named its National Offensive Player of the Week.
Hall was spectacular against UCLA, completing 27-of-35 passes for 271 yards and seven touchdowns in just two and a half quarters, leading No. 15 BYU to a 59-0 victory. Hall's seven touchdown passes tied a BYU single-game record held by Jim McMahon (1981) and Marc Wilson (1977). It breaks the old Mountain West Conference record of five held by several players.
Hall was nearly flawless in the first half against the Bruins — completing 23-of-29 attempts for 237 yards and six touchdowns in just seven possessions. His six TD passes in the first half set a new BYU record, eclipsing the old mark of five held by Gary Schiede (1973), Marc Wilson (1977), Jim McMahon (1980) and Robbie Bosco (1984).
Hall left the game with 7:43 to play in the third quarter after leading BYU on a seven-play, 69-yard drive to give BYU a 49-0 lead. During the drive he was 3-for-3 for 32 yards, including a 6-yard touchdown pass to Harvey Unga. Four different Cougars caught touchdown passes from Hall on the day.
"It's a real honor to receive this recognition, but in truth it's a team honor," said Hall, who leads a BYU team that is fifth in the nation in passing yards. "We have a lot of talent that surrounds me, and we are committed to getting better each week. It is nice to be recognized for the hard work."
This is the fifth consecutive year that the Walter Camp Football Foundation will honor one offensive and one defensive player as its national player of the week during the regular season. Recipients are selected by a panel of national media members and administered by the Walter Camp Football Foundation.
Walter Camp, "the father of American football," first selected an All-America team in 1889. Camp is a former Yale University athlete and football coach. The Walter Camp Football Foundation — a New Haven-based all-volunteer group — was founded in 1967 to perpetuate the ideals of Camp and to continue the tradition of selecting an annual All-America team.
