Austin Collie left on his Mormon mission to Argentina as a tall, lanky wide receiver with a freshly minted 2004 Mountain West freshman of the year award. He returned to the Brigham Young campus in January 2007 almost as a tight end.
Had he spent any more time enjoying the local cuisine in Argentina, he might have launched the second half of his career as an offensive lineman.
“I came back with 30 pounds of stuff (the strength and conditioning coach) didn’t want,” said Collie, the nation’s leading receiver averaging 112.8 yards a game. “Argentina is the meat capital of the world. They know how to cook steak.”
Said coach Bronco Mendenhall: “It was January until August before he recognized his own body.”
Collie, 6-feet-2 and back to his freshman weight at 197 pounds, and a BYU offense that features an embarrassment of riches plays Saturday at Colorado State.
To the outsider, it didn’t appear Collie lost his legs to the two-year sabbatical like so many returning missionaries. He gained 946 yards for second-team All-Mountain West honors, but suffered some nagging injuries through a loss of durability. He worked so hard in the offseason that he reported to camp with a stress fracture below the knee. Collie couldn’t practice until a week before the opener.
Although the No. 17 Cougars hit a snag in their BCS bowl aspirations against TCU, Collie has been the model of consistency. His six consecutive games of 100 yards receiving or better set an MWC record.
He won’t say he’ll be back for sure for his senior season. He’ll probably have BYU’s all-time career receiving mark by the end of this year.
“If I said I didn’t pay attention to the numbers I’d be lying, but it’s definitely not the main thing,” Collie said.
Quarterback Max Hall, named this week as a Davey O’Brien Award semifinalist, said the two are neighbors and have great chemistry. Hall also has a stellar tight end in Dennis Pitta and one of the league’s best running backs in Harvey Unga.
“Its unbelievable,” Hall said. “Not only because of the options but a great offensive line that gives me time to consider my options.”
Natalie Meisler: 303-954-1295 or nmeisler@denverpost.com
