Jaren Hall will share history with Jim McMahon and Steve Young following his 2nd NFL start
There’s a bit of history between former BYU and Utah State quarterbacks facing each other in the NFL, and Minnesota’s Jaren Hall and Green Bay’s Jordan Love will add the next chapter to that on Sunday.
When Hall and the Vikings host Love and the Packers in a pivotal Week 17 matchup with playoff implications (6:20 p.m. MST, NBC), it will be the fifth time that a former Cougar and former Aggie have started at quarterback against each other in the NFL.
It’s also the first time in 37 years that a BYU and Utah State QB product will have started against each other in the league.
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Hall, a fifth-round rookie, is making his second start for Minnesota, replacing Nick Mullens, though his first start back in November was cut short after he suffered a concussion in the first quarter.
Love, a 2020 first-round selection, is in his first season as the Packers’ starter after replacing All-Pro QB Aaron Rodgers following three seasons as a backup.
Previous NFL starts between former BYU and Utah State quarterbacks
All four previous NFL games that matched former BYU and Utah State quarterbacks starting against each other prior to Sunday’s game happened in the 1980s.
Former Detroit Lions starter Eric Hipple was the Utah State quarterback in each matchup, while Cougar greats Jim McMahon (with the Chicago Bears) and Steve Young (then with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers) were the BYU representatives.
Like McMahon and Young, Hall will start against a USU quarterback in his rookie season. For McMahon and Young, though, their first matchups against Hipple came in their first career starts.
Here’s a look at each of those previous matchups, with data from Pro Football Reference:
Nov. 21, 1982: Bears 20, Lions 17. In his first career start, the rookie McMahon completed 16 of 27 passes for 233 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions for Chicago, while Hipple was 15 of 32 for 119 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions for Detroit.
McMahon led a game-winning drive in the final minute with the contest tied at 17.
After Chicago started a drive at its own 42 with 49 seconds to play, the first-year QB completed a 15-yard pass to Rickey Watts near the sideline on third-and-12 to keep the drive alive.
On the next play, he threw down the middle for a 44-yard gain to Emery Moorehead to the Lions’ 1, setting up the game-winning field goal.
Nov. 24, 1985: Buccaneers 19, Lions 16. In his first career start, the future Hall of Famer Young completed 16 of 27 passes for 167 yards in Tampa Bay’s overtime win. He also had 10 carries for 60 yards.
Hipple, meanwhile, completed 22 of 38 passes for 225 yards and an interception for Detroit.
Young led an 11-play, 56-yard drive on Tampa Bay’s second drive of the overtime session that ended with the game-winning field goal.
Sept. 21, 1986: Buccaneers 24, Lions 20. Less than a year after their first matchup, Young and the Buccaneers beat Hipple and the Lions again. Young was 6 of 15 for 39 yards passing while rushing for 24 yards and a touchdown on five carries for Tampa Bay.
Hipple completed 31 of 46 passes for 318 yards and two interceptions for the Lions.
Oct. 26, 1986: Bears 13, Lions 7. McMahon’s second starting matchup against Hipple again ended in a Bears win.
McMahon completed 17 of 24 passes for 141 yards and two interceptions while adding 26 rushing yards on four carries. Hipple was 12 of 27 for 161 yards and two interceptions.
Other BYU-USU quarterback matchups: There have been several instances in which a former BYU and Utah State quarterback took snaps under center during the same NFL game, though neither started.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, former Utah State quarterback Bill Munson started for the Lions in two games in which former BYU quarterback Virgil Carter came on in relief at quarterback for Chicago and Cincinnati, respectively.
A near miss: In 1983, Gifford Nielsen made seven straight starts, all losses, for the Houston Oilers before being pulled one game before he would have faced Hipple.
Hipple and McMahon faced each other two other times — once in 1983 and again in 1985 — where one or the other started the game and the other came on in relief.
In 1991, Young started for San Francisco in a win over the San Diego Chargers, who briefly played former Utah State quarterback Bob Gagliano under center.
Jordan Love’s history vs. BYU quarterbacks in NFL play
While Love has yet to start opposite a former BYU quarterback during NFL regular-season play ahead of Sunday’s anticipated matchup, he does have some experience lining up under center during the same game as a trio of former Cougar signal callers.
In September 2021, Love’s first regular-season action came in a blowout loss to New Orleans. Love completed 5 of 7 passes for 68 yards, while Taysom Hill, the Saints’ do-everything star and former BYU standout, completed his only pass attempt for 3 yards.
Love and Hill met again earlier this season in an 18-17 Packers win, though Hill — who plays a variety of positions for New Orleans — never threw a pass while Love was 22 of 44 for 259 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
In a mid-October loss to the New York Jets last season, former BYU quarterback Zach Wilson started against Green Bay and completed 10 of 18 passes for 110 yards. Love came on in relief and completed 2 of 4 passes for 8 yards.
Love and Hall both played quarterback in the Packers-Vikings matchup earlier this season in Green Bay. That was the same day Minnesota lost starter Kirk Cousins to a torn Achilles, and Hall completed 3 of 4 passes for 23 yards in the Vikings’ 24-10 win while losing a fumble. Love was 24 of 41 for 229 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
