Running back Tyler Allgeier still remembers how exhausted he was after “the hammer punch” against Arizona State during his 2021 season at Brigham Young.
Quarterback Jaren Hall threw an interception near the red zone at the start of the play. Then came Allgeier, who sprinted toward the defender, wrapped him in a tackle and punched out the ball to force a fumble — which BYU recovered.
“(Hall) didn’t stop running with me, so he ended up recovering (the ball),” Allgeier said.
Now, Hall and Allgeier will meet again, but as opponents in the NFL. Hall was thrown into the starting role after quarterback Kirk Cousins tore his right Achilles tendon against Green Bay on Sunday. Cousins, who had surgery this week, is out for the season.
Hall, a fifth-round pick in this year’s NFL draft, saw his first NFL minutes after Cousins departed last week’s game, going 3-for-4 passing for 23 yards. He also played in some exhibition games. During his 2022 season at BYU, he was 248-for-376 while racking up 3,171 passing yards and 378 rushing yards.
Falcons defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen said entering a game like Hall did after Cousins’ injury is difficult, but he felt Hall did a good job helping the Vikings close the game. There’s not much tape on Hall given his limited time in the NFL, but Nielsen said his skill stood out on what they watched.
“He’s got savvy in the pocket, good pocket awareness,” Nielsen said. “He had a really good college career. Good arm, good thrower, good decision maker.”
Linebacker Kaden Elliss said Hall’s athletic ability and his dual strength at running and passing were noticeable. The Falcons need to be ready for him to scramble, Elliss said.
Hall played backup to Jets quarterback Zach Wilson during two of his four seasons at BYU. Allgeier said Hall was a “natural leader” even before he earned the starting position.
“(He) wanted to get one percent better, (when) he was behind Zach making those reps count,” Allgeier said. “When he took that starting job, he ended up flourishing.”
Allgeier remembered Hall buying him dinner after the “hammer punch” play. Hall was a loving friend who was like a brother, Allgeier said, and the pair remain in touch — though they haven’t talked ahead of Sunday’s game.
Hall is one of four rookie quarterbacks the Falcons will have faced this season, with Tennessee’s Will Levis, Houston’s C.J. Stroud and Carolina’s Bryce Young being the others. Three of those players (Levis, Young and Hall) made their first career start against the Falcons.
Elliss said they’ve looked back to college videotape and draft profiles to get a feel for the players and how they can best attack them on Sundays.
However, the defense is trying to avoid emphasizing the opponent. Nielsen said the unit wants to improve on its own weaknesses rather than chasing what’s on tape.
Safety Jessie Bates III also said focus and detail have been points of emphasis for the Falcons this week — not what to expect from Hall.
“It’s more so focusing on the details and what we’re going to call and execute at a high level,” Bates said. “Last week we kind of got in that mindset, ‘We don’t know what we’re going to see’ – kind of chasing ghosts. But, at the end of the day, it’s all about us and what we do.”
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