BYU’s Hall one win shy of tying record

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Two seasons ago in his first action as Brigham Young's quarterback, Max Hall wasn't thinking about the school's legacy at the game's most glamorous position.

"I was more worried about fumbling the snap than anything else," Hall recalled this week. "I was worried about remembering the plays and somehow being able to deliver a football and complete a pass."

No problem. Things turned out fine for Hall.

Now a senior, he leads the No. 22 Cougars (7-2, 4-1 Mountain West) into today's game at struggling New Mexico (0-9, 0-5) with a chance to make history.

With one more victory, Hall will match Heisman Trophy winner Ty Detmer's school record of 29 career wins from 1988 to 1991. And while Hall doesn't have enough time remaining in his playing days to threaten Detmer's school record of 15,031 yards passing, he's satisfied.

"Ty absolutely dominated in his career," Hall said. "He did some things and had some records that are unbelievable and almost unbeatable. Really, what really mattered to me was just winning games. We've tried to win at least 10 games each year and at least have a shot at the conference title."

Hall had a spectacular performance in last weekend's 52-0 victory at Wyoming.

He played into the third quarter, completing 20 of 22 attempts for 312 yards and a season-high four touchdowns. His 90.0 percent completion rate for a single game was just shy of Steve Sarkisian's school-record 91.2 percent against Fresno State from 1995.

The Cougars have a chance at 10 regular-season victories for the fourth straight year if they can win out against the Lobos, Air Force and rival Utah.