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PROVO — On a cool November night in 2009, BYU fans cheered until their throats were sore as they watched tight end Andrew George waltz into the end zone in over time to seal the win for the Cougars over rival Utah.
The stadium was electric and Cougar fans were sitting on top of the world and then, it happened. During the post game interviews quarterback Max Hall made the comment that will never be forgotten. Partially because it was surprising, and partially because no Ute fan will ever let you forget.
We don't really need to revisit the comments, because we probably all know them by heart by now.
The Cougars square off against Middle Tennessee this Friday and the BYU-Utah rivalry will be officially put aside until 2016, which means BYU will go six straight years without a win over Utah. When was the last time the Cougars knocked off the Utes? That's right, 2009.
Cougar nation has not celebrated a Rivalry Week win since Hall's infamous comments, so, is there a curse?
Sports curses are a staple in sports. Taking a look at the history of some of the most famous curses will not calm the nerves of BYU fans.
This curse supposedly started when the Boston Red Sox sold Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees in the 1919-1920 offseason.
Up to that point the Red Sox had amassed five World Series championships, but they had zero from 1920 to 2003.
In 2004, the Red Sox finally broke the curse in dramatic fashion, but still, it took over 80 years. I don't think Cougar fans have that kind of patience.
The Curse of the Billy Goat isn't as famous as the Curse of the Bambino, but it's much more devastating.
The legend goes that Billy Goat Tavern owner Billy Sianis was asked to leave a World Series game at Wrigley Field between the Cubs and Detroit Tigers because his goat smelled so bad it was bothering other fans. This upset Sianis so much that he said, "Them Cubs, they ain't gonna win no more."
You know what? They haven't.
The Cubbies have not won a National League pennant or a World Series in 105 years. Let's hope that's not the case with the Cougars.
These are just two of dozens of sports-related curses like the Curse of Coogan's Bluff, the Curse of the Black Sox, the Curse of Bobby Lane and the Cardinals Football Curse.
At the moment, it may seem like there is another to add to the list, the Max Hall Curse.
It will be another two years before we find out if this curse is for real, but as for now, six straight years without a win against the Utah Utes is a real curse to any BYU fan.
The most intriguing part of the curse, however, is the fact that contrary to the belief of most Utah fans, Max Hall may now be the best thing that's ever happened to the Utes.
