Duo’s practice paying off

Brigham Young's practice had just ended Wednesday, and as the Cougars walked off the Valley High School field toward their bus, quarterback Max Hall stayed behind another 10 minutes tossing passes to wide receiver Austin Collie.

The two did the same Thursday, with wide receiver Matt Allen joining them.

No matter which receivers joined Hall after practices this season, he always knew Collie would be one of them, usually working with him for an extra 20 minutes.

"You get used to each other's timing," Hall said. "You get used to where he's going to break off his routes and what angle he's going to break off.

"It's just that extra time you put in I think carries over to the game."

Hall and Collie formed a chemistry that paid off in the season's biggest moments for No. 19 BYU. The Cougars wouldn't be facing UCLA in Saturday's Las Vegas Bowl at Sam Boyd Stadium without key plays from that combination.

"A quarterback and receiver have to be on the same page," Collie said. "That's something that we work at and work at after practice."

Collie can make any quarterback look good. He set a Mountain West Conference freshman record with 771 yards -- since broken by UNLV's Ryan Wolfe -- on 53 catches in 2004.

Collie then left for a two-year Mormon mission, returning to catch 50 passes for 839 yards this season.

While he would post big numbers even from a UNLV quarterback throwing passes, Collie's on-field relationship with Hall allows him to take his game to another level. He makes catches when the Cougars need them most.

As evidence to the contrary, coach Bronco Mendenhall said BYU is just as comfortable calling key plays for tight end Dennis Pitta (54 catches for 755 yards) and tailback Harvey Unga (41 for 629).

"To me, it's what play we call and who is featured in terms of the scheme," Mendenhall said.

He's right that Collie doesn't make all the big plays. It just seems that way.

Hall converted a third-and-10 by completing a 59-yard touchdown pass to Collie for a 21-6 lead against New Mexico with 9:23 left in the third quarter. BYU went on to win, 31-24.

Collie's 66-yard reception set up a TD against Texas Christian, and his 29-yard catch converted a third-and-10 and led to a field goal. The plays were crucial in a 27-22 win.

"It's definitely a confidence booster knowing you can make plays like that," Collie said.

No play was bigger than the one against Utah. The Cougars looked done, trailing 10-9 with 1:13 left. Even worse for BYU, it was backed up at its 12-yard line, staring at fourth-and-18.

On top of all that, Hall had a injured passing shoulder. He dropped back, scrambled forward, then to his right and somehow launched a 49-yard strike to Collie.

"I had my separated shoulder hanging there at the end of the game," Hall said. "I put everything I had into that ball, and, luckily, I got it there."

The play led to the winning touchdown, and Collie caught the 2-point conversion pass for a 17-10 victory.

Collie said even the big play against the Utes had a lot to do with the few extra minutes he and Hall take after every practice to get more in sync.

"On that play, I definitely think that Max and I were on the same page," Collie said. "That was the reason why it came out the way it came out."

Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or (702) 387-2914.