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PROVO, Utah — For the third time in 2008, Max Hall has been named Mountain West Conference Offensive Player of the Week after leading No. 17 BYU to a 42-35 victory over UNLV. The win extended the Cougars home winning streak to 17 straight games. He and TCU wide receiver Jimmy Young shared the honor.
The junior quarterback from Mesa, Ariz., converted 24-of-31 passes for 245 yards and four touchdowns. He also had three rushes for 37 yards to give him 282 yards of total offense on the day.
Hall was nearly flawless in the first quarter, completing a perfect 8-8 passes for 86 yards and two touchdowns, giving the Cougars a 14-7 first-quarter lead.
In the fourth quarter, with BYU trailing 35-34 and just 6:40 left to play, Hall marched the Cougars 74 yards in 11 plays for the go-ahead score — a 6-yard pass to Dennis Pitta with 1:47 remaining. On the next play, he connected with Harvey Unga on a 3-yard pass for the two-point conversion to give BYU what proved to be the game-winning margin. On the game-winning drive, Hall converted 8-of-8 passes for 59 yards, including four completions for first downs. He also rushed the ball once for a 6-yard gain.
On the day, Hall accounted for 282 of BYU's 454 yards of total offense. Hall shared the offensive honor this week with TCU receiver Jimmy Young, who caught five passes for three touchdowns and a school-record 226 yards in the Horned Frogs' 54-7 win over Wyoming.
Through eight games, Hall ranks in the Top-10 nationally in five statistical categories, including completions per game, passing yards and passing efficiency. He has started the past 21 games for BYU, during which the Cougars have a 18-3 record (.857) and an undefeated record at home (11-0) in LaVell Edwards Stadium.
Hall's National Rankings:
- 8th passing efficiency (161.0)
- 8th completions per game (24.8)
- 8th passing yards per game (295.5)
- 9th total passing yards (2,364)
- 9th points per game (20)
- 14th total offense (300.1)
2008 Season Stats:
- Games Played:8
- Team Record:7-1
- Completions:198
- Attempts:288
- Percentage:68.7
- Yards Passing:2,364
- Touchdowns:24
- Interceptions:6
- Efficiency:161.0
Other MWC players of the week:
CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
JIMMY YOUNG, TCU
Sophomore, Wide Receiver, Monroe, La./Ouachita Parish HS
Jimmy Young caught five passes for three touchdowns and a school-record 226 yards in the Horned Frogs' 54-7 win over Wyoming. His 226 yards marked the best single-game receiving effort in the MWC this season and the sixth-best in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
The Monroe, La., native's touchdown catches were from 60, 55 and 39 yards. Young, who averaged 45.2 yards per catch on the day, also had a 65-yard reception that led to a TCU touchdown two plays later.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
AARON KIRCHOFF, AIR FORCE
Senior, Free Safety, Barrington, Ill./Barrington HS
Aaron Kirchoff registered four total tackles, including two solo stops, a pass breakup, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery for his first career touchdown in Air Force's 23-10 win over New Mexico.
A senior free safety from Barrington, Ill., Kirchoff recorded the second-longest fumble recovery in Air Force history when he scooped up a Lobo fumble and ran it back 96 yards for the score. Kirchoff's recovery came with Air Force trailing 10-0 in the first quarter and New Mexico driving inside the Falcons' 10-yard line.
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
RYAN HARRISON, AIR FORCE
Senior, Punter/Kicker, Keller, Texas/Keller HS
Ryan Harrison matched his career-high with three field goals in Air Force's win over New Mexico. The Keller, Texas, native's first field goal of 30 yards tied the game at 10-10 in the second quarter, while his second kick of 43 yards made it a two-possession game early in the fourth period.
His third field goal came from 32 yards to give him a 16-of-18 completion rate on the season. Harrison also recorded four punts for an average of 41.5 yards and six kickoffs for an average of 63.5 yards in the contest.
