Hall makes mark

When Chris Petersen was a Boise State assistant coach, his recruiting territory was essentially the city of Boise, with one notable exception.

“And Korey Hall,” he said, laughing.

Petersen made several 70-mile drives southeast to Glenns Ferry to watch the lightly recruited Hall, who had made a favorable impression on then-head coach Dan Hawkins at the Bronco football camp.

Hall stood out at the 2A level, but Petersen remembers thinking, “Yeah, he’s a really good player, but the level of football is a little lower than some of the levels in Idaho.”

It didn’t take long for Hall to prove himself at BSU, in the WAC and on a national level.

After redshirting in 2002, Hall has been a four-year fixture at inside linebacker, earning two All-WAC first-team designations and an honorable mention. He’s on the watch lists for the Nagurski Trophy (nation’s best defensive player), Butkus Award (best linebacker) and Lott Trophy (defensive impact player). He was on the watch list for the Lombardi Award (top offensive/defensive linemen or anyone who lines up within 5 yards of the ball), but wasn’t among the 12 semifinalists.

“His intangibles are off the charts,” said Petersen, BSU’s first-year head coach.

To hear Hall tell it, he’s just one of the guys.

“Probably more than anything my role is trying to be a leader on the field and get guys motivated to make plays,” Hall said. “That’s something that’s really easy. We have a ton of guys on defense that know how to get it done. I don’t think anything sparks a defense like somebody making a big play.”

More often than not, Hall is the one making the big play. His interception against New Mexico State led to BSU’s first touchdown Sunday. He has four picks this season and, calling on his days as a running back at Glenns Ferry, 84 return yards. He also has a team-high 71 tackles, two sacks and a fumble recovery.

Hall needs just two tackles in Saturday’s game against Idaho to move past ex-Bronco Andy Avalos into fourth place in school history and second in WAC history. The Sporting News preseason rankings listed Hall as the nation’s 10th-best inside linebacker.

“He’s a special player,” Vandals coach Dennis Erickson said. “I watched tape this summer of their games and what he did last year. He’s physical. He has a great nose for the ball. As a freshman he was all over the field.”

Idaho asked Hall, who grew up on a 300-acre farm in Glenns Ferry, to walk on, but he’d already accepted a scholarship to Boise State. Idaho State entered the picture late.

Hall has always been an accomplished tackler at BSU, but he had to brush up on his pass coverage.

“In our (high school) league, teams might only throw five, six times a game,” said Hall, who has nine career interceptions.

Hall believes this is the best of the four BSU defenses he’s been part of, but the unit is a little irritated after allowing New Mexico State to throw for 526 yards and score 28 points.

“We know what we’re capable of, but the last few games I don’t think we’ve played up to our standards,” he said. “Last week kind of left a bitter taste in our mouths, because we’re not used to teams scoring that many points on us.”

Hall, though, has left a lasting mark on BSU’s program.

“He’s kind of the heart and soul of our defense and our team,” Petersen said. “He’s what college football is all about to me. He’s a good student. He’s going to get a good degree in construction management. He’s one of the reasons I coach this game.”