Sports

Utah Athletic Director Accosts Big 12 Referee With Anger In His Eyes After Major Holy War Controversy

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Utah BYU Football Penalty Controversy Holding
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BYU narrowly escaped Saturday’s college football rivalry game with a win over Utah. However, the Utes seem to believe it was given, not earned after a major controversy involving Big 12 officials.

A crucial holding call late in the fourth quarter swung the final result in favor of the undefeated, ninth-ranked Cougars.

Following the loss, Utah athletic director Mark Harlan made a surprise appearance at the press conference. Rarely does an AD take the podium after the exhilarating college football game. He was furious.

This game was absolutely stolen from us. We were excited about being in the Big 12, but tonight I am not. We won this game. Someone else stole it from us. Very dissapointed.

I will talk to the commissioner. This was not fair to our team. I’m disgusted by the professionalism of the officiating crew tonight.

— Mark Harlan

The 55-year-old did not take questions. Harlan did not elaborate any further.

Although his rant might’ve targeted multiple calls throughout the 60 minutes of play, it was likely in direct reference to the final 90 seconds.

Utah took a 21-10 lead into the locker room at halftime. However, it failed to score again while BYU mounted a comeback. The visiting Cougs chipped away at the deficit with a touchdown and a field goal during the third and early fourth quarters.

They ultimately got the ball back, down by two, with 1:48 remaining at their own nine-yard-line.

Three-straight incomplete passes set up 4th-and-10 from the nine with 1:35 on the clock. Quarterback Jake Retzlaff, better known as BYJew, was sacked for a loss of eight.

The Utes were set to takeover on downs at the goal line for a pair of game-winning knees. It was over… until it wasn’t.

As Retzlaff was wrapped up in the backfield, the officials threw a flag for defensive holding. BYU kept its drive alive with the penalty. It went 65 yards on 11 plays and kicked a 44-yard field goal as time expired to win 22-21.

There is a lot of dissension surrounding the late penalty. Harlan, and all of Salt Lake City, believes it was bogus. He gave the head referee a piece of his mind on the field prior to his fiery press conference.

Unfortunately, ESPN only had one (terrible) angle of the play:

Zooming in on the 1-on-1 battle helps to show it was more than a little bit of jostling at the line of scrimmage, but it’s still not super clear.

Here is a look from the other side of the field:

End zone video is also pretty clear:

This might be the best angle:

The sideline judge had a clear line of sight. It appears as though defensive back Zemaiah Vaughn grabbed the outside shoulder pad of the wide receiver. He almost pulled him to the ground.

Mark Harlan likely did not see the other videos prior to his passionate postgame statement. The greater Utah contingency might change its opinion on the penalty after watching. Maybe not.

Were the Utes robbed??