I agree with two things: First, let's not talk about BYU's dominating performance against the Utes. Too painfull, easier to call someone self-righteous. Secondly, if a person says he is blessed, then by turning that around and saying he must have meant I am not blessed, then that person has some serious narcissitic issues.

I don't believe that Collie is that smart or well measured enough to come up with this comment for the sole purpose of infuriating Ute fans. It was a heat of the moment comment which I think he really thought at the moment. Reflecting on it, he probably thinks it was silly, and is happy that it's gotten so many people in a wad. It's one thing to thank God, and something totally different to thank YOURSELF for being righteous. That's where this was a ridiculous comment.

Here is the reason that this comment by Collie was wrong. If he would have phrased it that he felt blessed to do his best because he was living right, I would have given him the pass. At BYU they should be living right or they shouldn't be in that school, unless you can play sports and then you can do whatever you want.

But the reason Utah fans, especially Utah fans that are Mormons, are mad is that he stated it as if he was giving a talk to the masses. "If YOU"RE living right." So that questions the morality of all Utah players, coaches, and fans. Utah lost because they weren't living right. That is just plain stupid. Then he adds at the end that the Lord created something "magical". That implies that the Lord had a direct hand in the outcome of the game. Another idiotic comment and goes directly against what the leaders of the Mormon church teach.

But what has made me the most angry about this situation is that BYU fans have rallied behind Collie and try to justify his statements. You just look stupid and make the church look judgemental and self-righteous, the exact thing the church has been trying to get members to change. BYU fans really don't care about church teachings when it comes to football. Hell, they would accept a player like Collie on their team, even if he joined the crazy protesters screaming at General conference goers every 6 months. BYU real motto "Just Win Baby"

What is the difference between Collie's comments, and every other athlete pointing skyward after they make a big play? The only difference is that Austin vocalized the gesture. Besides, his relationship with, and understanding concerning, God is not something to be hounded and second-guessed by anyone, period.

You asked the question, he gave you the answer. If anyone has a problem with it, then the problem lies in them, not Austin.

spiderpig: no, no, no and no. As a Catholic and nobody's fan except my wife and children, you miss the entire point of the young man's comment. First, he did phrase it as you had wished him to phrase it, therefore he deserves your "pass" as well as your support. Sometimes I wonder if Mormons are as unified as they like everyone to think. Second, if a man says because he pays tithes and offerings and is living as best he knows so that the Lord has blessed his business and in the process his business puts another man out of business. Should the second curse the first for his belief? You seem to have the real issues with the Lord, not Austin Collie. To me, he seems very grounded in his beliefs. In fact, by saying his comment, "goes directly against what the leaders of the Mormon church teach," you have placed yourself in a higher plane of authority than did Mr. Collie. For now, you speak for the church against him. As far as the Mormon church looking "judgemental and self-righteous," again you have become the very thing you claim to hate by pointing the finger of scorn at another when your comments are laced with bitterness. Lastly, your comment that BYU has a "Just win baby" attitude is in conflict with your earlier comments that BYU thinks good living means winning on and off the field. You are in conflict with you, not Austin Collie. I suggest you reflect on your relationship to God and your church, not on what another might say and then have it somehow reflect on you, your beliefs and ghastly, your football team!!

PK, not sure if you saw this or not but Big Ben pointed to Heavan after the Steelers won last night. I am suprised this was not the lead on channel 2, why was this not immediately aired? Does he really think that God helped his kicker hit that fieldgoal. He is so arrogant, he is so self rightous. I think you should put that journalism degree to work and exploit this guy, I do not know if you could fill four hours of topic radio but it would probably still be worth your time.

I am A BYU fan however I think it was a young immature comment by Collie, I understand how it can be seen as offensive. I guess we could take from that comment that the mens basketball team needs to repent for loosing to North Carolina this week-end because the Lord did not allow the magic to happen. Good and bad people win sporting events. It is a little self- righteous to believe you are somehow a better person than someone else.

Collie's statement was stupid and can't be justified; however, Austin Collie is a young man prone to make mistakes. If you choose to be offended, then be offended and move on. Spiderpig is angry about everything and just seems to bounce from article to article stroking BYU fans with one brush and making statements just as inappropriate as Collie. Pot calling the kettle black.

Read below Austin Collie's response as he was quoted in the Deseret News. Sounds like he stands by his statement and clarifies his intent

"I just think it's absolutely ridiculous that people take something like that and blow it up. I really think it's because I'm a Mormon white kid from Brigham Young University. Anybody else says that from any other team and it's just 'how spiritual that guy is.'"

Collie reaffirmed his believe and faith, God blesses his children who try their best  regardless of where they are from.

"It's true. You can see that around the world, God cares about his children and that he's going to bless them whether it's on the football field or any other areas of their lives. I think if you're doing the things you should do on and off the field, things are going to come together for you."

"To tell you I got here on my own and that the Lord hasn't had a hand in my success and our team's success and every other athlete's success in this world is just B.S., because he's had a hand in every person's life."

When asked how he felt about the commotion his quote has caused, Collie, a freshman All-American before leaving for his mission three years ago, replied, "People need to get a life. It's just ridiculous. People have to get a life, that's all."

Some of you need to inject a little more critical thinking into your analysis. Collie was talking about himself and his own, individual play and how God blessed him. That has nothing to do with anybody else. God blessing him does not require a victory for his team, nor does it require defeat for the opposing team. God blessing him does not mean God can't also bless others, including those on the opposing team. God's blessings are not part of a "zero sum game" in which the resources are finite and what's given to one person depletes what's left to give to others. I don't understand why so many fail to understand this. Those who are offended by his commented are offended because they choose to be. But those of you who are fellow Mormons and claim to understand how God deals with humans need to stop and think about this.

Does anyone else find it interesting that out of probably a dozen or so reporters who reported Collie and his team mates after the game that this comment ONLY came out to PK? Give the reporter credit for asking the question which illicits the powderkeg of a response, but also give credit to Collie to realizing who is speaking to. PK has interviewed Collie a hundred times this year, Collie probably knows that PK LOVES to stir the pot and blow tiny things way out of propotion (because it's great radio, not so much for print) so Collie gave PK what he wanted. We can't see Collie's facial expressions to see if he's playing with PK or not. So we don't really know.

Secondly, a few others have made great points about other athletes giving credit heavenward when they in a game-winning situation. How many times on any given Saturday, Sunday or gameday in general when someone is at the line for a game winning free throw or a field goal do we see that person cross themselves, or point skyward in praise of God, or whoever or whatever. How many times do we hear talk of "miracle plays" or a QB throwing a "hail mary" into the end zone? All religious references, or references to that person's individual faith, but no gets crucified like this kid is for saying something he believes on a personal level.

I don't necessarily think the comments were the smartest thing to say, if for no other reason that for days after a GREAT game from both teams, all anyone seems interested in talking about is this!?!? Come on folks, lets talk about the game and not get wrapped around the axle about the comments of a 21-year-old kid.

My first response when I heard what Austin Collie said was that he felt that the Lord would step in and help anyone play their best if they were living and practing correctly. I just see it that Utah's best (I am a graduate of the University of Utah) wasn't good enough for BYU's best. I have looked and looked to find somewhere in Austin Collie's comments that Utah didn't win because they don't live correctly and I just can't find it. Utah's best just wasn't good enough. That simple. If God is who we believe he is then both teams have the same God, he doesn't care who wins, just that you do what is right and he will bless you so you can do your best. It isn't His fault if you aren't good enough at your best. Collie, no harm no foul.

For those who think that there is no difference between Collie's comments and pointing to the sky after a big play, I beg to differ. Pointing to the sky is intended on giving ALL glory to God for the success, rather than the individual who has achieved it. Collie began his comment with, "when you're doing what's right on and off the field..." Collie believes that he was blessed as a direct result of his own "worthiness" (i.e. he EARNED God's blessing.) I am LDS and a BYU alum but having lived most of my life outside Utah, I can see clearly why other Christian religions do not consider mormons to be Christians and it is the same reason why there is so much tension in Utah between LDS and everyone else: LDS tend to flaunt their "worthiness" and most LDS believe that they receive blessings ONLY AS THEY EARN THEM. Collie's comments are a perfect example of this. Christian athletes, when invoking God in interviews will usually say something to the effect of, "All the glory goes to God," rather than, "I'm doing what God wants, so He blessed me." The difference may seem subtle but it's HUGE!

Spud2: The phrase "steps in" is synonymous with "intervenes" in the outcome and "plays a part" indicates a direct and impactful contribution to the outcome... Both parts of Collie's phrasing indicate that he doesn't believe that God helped both teams play to the best of their potential; rather, his phrasing indicates that He believes that God intervened on his behalf and had a direct impact on the outcome.

I have always thought it irrational to think that God cares one way or the other about a football game, so to think that God had anything to do with Collie's big catch or the Cougars' win is just silly to begin with. The irrationality comes because (contrary to the blog comments here by "one" and Spud2) football IS a zero sum game: Every play, the success of one team is affected by the success (or lack thereof) of the other team. E.G: getting open and catching a pass requires beating the defensive coverage. Therefore, if Collie was referring to the big catch or to his individual performance throughout the game and he believes that God "stepp[ed] in" to help him succeed then, logically, he believes that God intended for the Utes defense NOT to succeed (or wanted it less than He wanted Collie to succeed). As to the game as a whole: There's only one winner and one loser, so if Collie was referring to the game as a whole and he thinks that God "stepp[ed] in and play[ed] a part" in the BYU win, logic follows that Collie thinks that God wanted the Utes to lose. Furthermore, if God's blessings are, as Collie says, a direct result of one's "worthiness" or the collective "worthiness" of the group, and God blessed Collie and/or BYU in that game, then logic would indicate that Collie believes himself and/or his team to be more "worthy" than the Ute DBs and/or the Utah football team as a whole.

Austin: I honestly have no doubt that, by LDS standards, you're much better than I, so Im sincere when I say that I don't mean to sound critical. However, being a white mormon who went to BYU, I still totally get why people are upset by your statement. If you're being "persecuted", you brought it on yourself. If you want to give glory to God, than give glory to God, not to God via Austin Collie.

Dear Optimist,

First, I take great offense in your saying that there is "so much tension" between me and all my non-LDS friends. Second, I also take great offense in your saying that I flaunt my worthiness. And third, I take great offense in your saying that I bleive the only blessings I receive are those that I earn. All of these are not true.

Oh, you didn't mean me personally? Well that is how I took it. That is what your words say. Here they are, "there is so much tension in Utah between LDS and everyone else"; "LDS tend to flaunt their "worthiness""; and "most LDS believe that they receive blessings ONLY AS THEY EARN THEM".

Oh, by the way, in all sports I have heard people say, on several occasions, "I want to thank God for helping us win the game" or "I want to thank God for blessing me" or "I want to thank God for letting us win". Or words very similar with the same meaning. It happens all the time and no one says a word about it. Why now? By your argument they are saying that God doesn't want to help the other team to win, that he prefers them to the other team. Why is it ok for them and not for Austin Collie?

Spud2: Reviewing my comments above, you'll see that only a few lines were directed towards you. I'm sorry if you took offense to other statements not directed at you but I can't control how you react. Those comments were a reflection of the general condition in Utah and I don't think that it can even be disputed that there is a general sense of tension between LDS and non-LDS. (Obviously individual situations may or may not follow the general trend, so congratulations on your goodwill towards others.)

Check out the blogs for ANY article even remotely involving the LDS church on sltrib.com and you'll see vehement debates about the church, about the general perception among non-LDS people of the behavior of LDS members. You don't even have to go as far north as Salt Lake, it's everywhere: It may be less on the BYU campus but go just across town to UVSC and ask any non-LDS person what they think of the mormons and probably 75% will tell you some version of the same thing: They perceive LDS people as sanctimonious and judgemental.

Now don't go getting offended again: Whether that perception is accurate or not is not the issue here; the fact is, that's how LDS are perceived and that is the source of the tension to which I referred. Look no further than this issue with Austin Collie: This is only an issue because of the general tension between non-LDS and LDS. The tension is there and Collie's statements stoked the fire (and did nothing to help the perception of LDS people). You asked, "Why is it okay for them and not for Austin Collie?" There's a big part of it.

Another major factor on why his remarks were not well-received: Review my comments above on what the difference is between "All the glory goes to God" and "I'm doing what God wants so God blessed me." (It seems obvious but go ahead and read it again if you need to.) Collie didn't say anything about "thanking God". His was a conditional statement: "God steps in" if and only if "you're doing what's right" which means that the root source of God's intervention is the righteousness of the individual or group. Merely saying that you thank God for His blessings says nothing about whether or not the individual did anything to DESERVE (i.e. earn) God's blessings. Collie, on the other hand, made sure to point out (before any mention of God) that he and/or the team were DESERVING of the divine intervention due to the fact that he/they "do what's right on and off the field."

Once again: I'm not condemning anyone, I'm just explaining what the perception is and why LDS in Utah are perceived the way they are.

To Optimist:

I don't think you or I know how the majority of the non-LDS population think regarding members of the LDS Church since neither of us have talked to the majority of the non-LDS members and as such we can't make those claims. I don't believe either of us have taken a statistically represenative sample of the non-LDS community and any claims that a certain percent thinks one way or the other is just a wild guess at best.

What I do think is no one should take offense at what Mr. Collie said since he didn't exclude anyone from having the ability to be helped by God if they live and practice appropriately. Any claims that he excluded the University of Utah, of which I am an Alum, from having the ability of being helped by God if we practice and live appropriately is riduculous. Also, any claims that Mr. Collie inferred members of the University of Utah football team do not live or practice appropriately causing them to lose the game is an unreasonable stretch of imagination. I am just bothered that people are making these claims when he didn't specifically say that and it is very likley that he didn't intend that. That is all. I am tired of people, LDS and Non-LDS, making claims that are supported by nothing more than their pre-conceived ideas, not by the actual statements made. That is all, sorry if you see it otherwise. That is your right, we will just have to disagree on this issue. Sorry.