By Sebastian Dunlap
For those fans out there that are sick of hearing about BYU starting quarterback John Beck, get used to it, this guy is clutch.
In the Saturday, Oct. 6, 2006, victory over the visiting Aztecs in LaVell Edwards Stadium, Beck went 16-21 through the air, completed four touchdown passes and led the Cougars past an opponent they needed to beat.
It was a big day for the senior.
Beck''s four touchdown passes gave him a career total of 59 and established a new Mountain West Conference record.
'It''s what he does,' BYU running back Curtis Brown said of Beck''s performance. 'John is the heart and soul of our offense .... When he is confident I am confident.'
Looking past the numbers, Beck''s first desire is not his own success, but that of his team.
'If you want to have a great season, win your games at home,' Beck said, quoting from a speech Coach LaVell Edwards gave to the team. 'It is good to get a win.'
When asked about his own record breaking performance, Beck acknowledged that it was something special, but remained humble.
'I just tried to step up my game for today,' Beck said. 'I watched film .... I went into this week of practice trying to be more efficient.'
And efficient he was. His final statistics gave him a passing efficiency rating of 245.85, the highest of his career.
'John believes he can throw the ball anywhere he wants; that is a good feeling for a quarterback to have,' Coach Bronco Mendenhall said. 'I was proud of our football team today.'
Mendenhall listed rest as a contributing factor for Beck''s success against San Diego State, along with watching from the sidelines and the momentum carried over from the great win against TCU.
Halfway through the season, Beck continues to gain presence in the national spotlight. Opposing teams are taking notice of the talents that the BYU quarterback brings onto the field. One example is recently-defeated Chuck Long, coach of San Diego State.
'We had a lot of young guys playing in the secondary,' Long said in a press release. 'What a baptism that was for them, playing against on of the best quarterbacks in the country. We were facing a great quarterback and an excellent offense.'
Beck and the Cougars now begin to prepare to face the UNLV Rebels after a bye this week.
'Right now I am thinking of UNLV,' Beck said.
With Beck at the helm, BYU looks to keep the momentum of their three-game winning streak alive, as they push towards a conference championship.
'I like our team, I like our chances,' Mendenhall said. 'I think we have a great chance to win a conference championship.'