Jaren Hall Described Viral Hug With BYU Kicker Jake Oldroyd
Sep 13, 2022, 11:54 PM
BYU QB Jaren Hall went viral with a victory embrace of kicker Jake Oldroyd. (Scott G. Winterton, Deseret News)
(Scott G. Winterton, Deseret News)
PROVO, Utah – When people look back years from now at BYU’s win over Baylor, a defining moment will probably be the embrace between QB Jaren Hall and kicker Jake Oldroyd.
When Baylor QB Baylor Shapen threw his 4th & Goal pass well beyond the endzone, giving BYU the massive 26-20 victory, Hall immediately hugged an emotional Oldroyd.
Oldroyd missed a game-winning field goal in the fourth quarter and overtime. A difficult thing for a kicker who has had so many great moments for BYU since his freshman season in 2016.
Hall, a captain in his fifth year at BYU, was there to let Oldroyd know it would be okay. It became a viral moment on social media from the game.
Leadership. pic.twitter.com/9EPff7DsY4
— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) September 11, 2022
Jaren Hall revisits postgame moment with Jake Oldroyd on Unrivaled
On Tuesday, Hall described that moment for the first time on Unrivaled with Alex Kirry and Scott Mitchell on the KSL Sports Zone (97.5 FM).
“You had countless guys doing the same thing I did,” said Hall about the embrace with Oldroyd to KSL Sports. “The same thing that Jake would do for anybody else in that situation. Simply just bringing him in close and giving him a hug. Telling him they love him, care about him, reminding him that he will be needed, and reminding him of all the good he’s done for us over the years—the good he’s done this season and the good he did in the game. He kept us in there with two field goals when the offense couldn’t capitalize and score in the red zone. So without that, we lose the game as is.”
Oldroyd finished the night 2-of-4 on field goals and was a perfect 2-for-2 on extra point attempts.
#BYU coach Kalani Sitake on the leadership displayed by Jaren Hall embracing Jake Oldroyd.#BYUFootball @kslsports pic.twitter.com/QShkyW11x2
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) September 11, 2022
“Love and learning”
While Hall and Oldroyd embraced, BYU fans stormed the field and celebrated a win over a future Big 12 foe. But what was also highlighted was the leadership and culture of the BYU football program.
“It was just a very comforting scene to see,” Hall said. “And just a reminder of how this team and our success is built on love and learning, just like Kalani has always spoken about and really built his program on.”
Oldroyd and No. 12 BYU now have their attention set on No. 25 Oregon this Saturday at Autzen Stadium. BYU Special Teams Coordinator Ed Lamb said during Coordinators’ Corner earlier this week that Oldroyd remains BYU’s “best kicker” and will continue to hold that top spot.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow him on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper.
