The last BYU QB with the power to will his team to win?

I'm curious about what you think about this question. We have a QB that to me, feels unlike any QB we've had for years. Someone who wills the team to victory. I'm wondering who the last one that had the kind of will power was.



Max Hall was a gamer and a gun slinger, but his focus seemed to be more internal than external. John Beck showed flashes of willing the team to victory by late in his senior year, but I don't know that he had IT. ;)



Doman, did he have that will? Or do we have to go back further?

McMahon had it. Miracle Bowl. Everyone else was ready to quit. Jim told them we could still win it and players believed and a miracle ensued.



The USU game was a mini version of this. Mini - because we were not as far behind.



Detmer - vs Miami showed some of it - stitches on his chin and all.



Bosco - vs Michigan in NC game showed it as he limped all over the field with knee banged up by UM cheap shot.



Those come to my mind. I remember a time when i always assumed BYU would come back and win.



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Jake Heaps. ;)

































But seriously, it was Lance Pendleton. ;)

SpiffCoug wrote:

But seriously, it was Lance Pendleton. ;)

I'll always tell my boy about the time Lance Pendelton willed the team to victory.

When I saw Max Hall run into the locker room at halftime during the oklahoma game yelling "We're going to win", I knew it was going to happen. To be fair though, that was a pretty easy call considering BYU had all the momentum and oklahoma had just lost Bradford.

For some reason I was never fully confident with Max Hall. I liked him but I was always waiting for the mistake. In 2006 before the Beck to Harline play I was fully confident in Beck getting it done. By his senior year Beck seemed to have reached this point for me but he's the last one since the 90's* to make me feel that way.



(* I did miss 2002** with Doman though)

(** Your ward mission leader can pick up KSL 1160 on the radio in Stevenson Mt while on splits during BYU football games)

McMahon for sure.



Bosco seemed to have it.



Sark had it his sr. year.

Geat question. Good answers. What I'm reading indicates that some had "all of IT" some didn't, but they found a way to get it done. McMahan, Young, Bosco, Detmer, Beck had the wil to win and the skils to back it up.

Doman should get some credit and had the signature wins to prove it.

Riley is well on his way with the USU win and Tulsa last second win. He has a ton of will to win and to get his team there. But I'm not sure he has the skills to pull it off. He's got to pull it out in bigger games before he gets the crown the above qb''s earned.

I was there in 2000 when LAvell finally let Doman have a shot at it. The change on the team was palpable. Suddenly I felt like BYU had their swagger back. So I guess Doman gets my vote.

BroncoBot wrote:
I was there in 2000 when LAvell finally let Doman have a shot at it. The change on the team was palpable. Suddenly I felt like BYU had their swagger back. So I guess Doman gets my vote.

Some guys learn to have that will (guys like Beck, Wilson and Young). Some guys have it from the beginning (McMahon, Detmer and Doman).

SpiffCoug wrote:

I was there in 2000 when LAvell finally let Doman have a shot at it. The change on the team was palpable. Suddenly I felt like BYU had their swagger back. So I guess Doman gets my vote.

Some guys learn to have that will (guys like Beck, Wilson and Young). Some guys have it from the beginning (McMahon, Detmer and Doman).

I'm not convinced regarding Doman, only because of the way he lost "IT" once Staley went down for the season. Back in the days of McMahon, young, bosco, etc, you always knew the offense could score, just give them the ball and a few seconds on the clock. It was surprising when they didn't score. We haven't had that feeling in LES for a long time. I think we have had glimpses of it with Doman, beck and Hall during their senior years, but not quite to the level of their predecessors. (didn't mention Detmer, he definitely had it and Sark got it after losing early in his senior year.)

Doman wasn't healthy at the end of 2001 either. Staley got hurt against Mississippi St and Doman cracked his ribs and didn't finish the Hawaii game. He was still beat up in the bowl game.

I don't know about "will to win" but the last QB that I felt had no quit in him was John Beck. No matter how far down we got, he seemed to always be back there fighting to get us back into games, even in 04 and 05. Doman was the same way and Sark before him. I loved Max Hall but he had to play from ahead, if he got behind the game was over and usually ended up a blow out.

Max Hall had it. You don't become BYU's all time winningest qb ***AT BYU*** without knowing how to will your team to win.



Unfortunately, he put too much of that on himself at times, and also we understand from following years that outside of Collie and Pitta, he really didn't have anyone else to throw to. Everyone else was horrible.

frdbtr wrote:
Doman was the same way and Sark before him. I loved Max Hall but he had to play from ahead, if he got behind the game was over and usually ended up a blow out.

I think that is due more to coaching style. I don't think we have come back from more than 10 or 11 down *ever* under Bronco as a head coach. I don't put that on Hall. That goes on Bronco and Anae, if you ask me.

I think I'm leaning a bit towards frdbtr on Max Hall. Great QB, but better when playing with a lead.



Of his seven loses, six were by 10 or more and four were by 24 or more.



Of his 32 wins, 10 were by fewer than 7. Here are those games. I can't remember which ones he drove BYU for the winning scores in.



OU 2009 - drove for winning TD

UNM 2009 - can't remember

UNLV 2008 - seems like drove for winning TD

CSU 2008 - drove for winning TD

UNM 2007 - can't remember

Utah 2007 - drove for winning TD

UCLA 2007 - didn't drive for winning score

BlueIsBetter wrote:

Doman was the same way and Sark before him. I loved Max Hall but he had to play from ahead, if he got behind the game was over and usually ended up a blow out.

I think that is due more to coaching style. I don't think we have come back from more than 10 or 11 down *ever* under Bronco as a head coach. I don't put that on Hall. That goes on Bronco and Anae, if you ask me.

funny how Bronco and anae didn't get the reputation of not being able to come back from large deficits until after Max took over. Beck came back from some huge deficits and came up just short in the CAL, utah and ND games in 05 and took the blame for the losses even though we had a terrible defense that year. Like I said, I loved Max Hall and all the wins he gave us but if he got behind, he pressed, and we ended up in huge blowout losses. Beck was cool as a cucumber and just ran the offense, with him at QB I never felt we were out of a game.

I agree, but we have NEVER come back from being down 11+ to win under Bronco. You can't put that on one player.



Mendenhall didn't have that reputation before Hall because he only had two seasons with Beck under his belt. :skeptic:



Is one year really enough to give you a reputation? Nope. But 3-5 years is.

BlueIsBetter wrote:
I agree, but we have NEVER come back from being down 11+ to win under Bronco. You can't put that on one player.



Mendenhall didn't have that reputation before Hall because he only had two seasons with Beck under his belt. :skeptic:



Is one year really enough to give you a reputation? Nope. But 3-5 years is.

We did it last year against Ole Miss and I think against utah state too.



Just checked on cougarstats. Came back from being down 13 against ole miss and being down 11 against utah state.

I remember in a very critical game with Max Hall, maybe game vs Utah his Sr year. And Max seemed a little off in his own world at a critical time-out when the groups needed to be unified and enthused. Instead of Max, it was Pitta that our ought everybody in close and gave them a rallying speech. Not that Max couldn't, but between Pitta and Collie, I think those guys really knew how to step it up. But Max does still deserve a lot of credit. Most wins is most wins. He has to be on the list.