PROVO -- 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.
The junior 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