Utah athletic director Mark Harlan may find himself called to the commissioner’s office this week.
Harlan blasted the official late Saturday after the Utes lost to rival BYU, 22-21, on Utah’s home court.
“This game was completely stolen from us,” Harlan said. “We were happy to be in the Big 12, but tonight I’m not there. We won the game. Someone stole it from us. We’re very disappointed.”
The Utes, a regular in the Pac-12, are struggling in their first year in the Big 12 at 4-5 overall, 1-5 in the conference.
Utah clung to a 21-19 lead for much of the fourth quarter after BYU’s touchdown at the 12:35 mark of the final frame. And twice late in the quarter, the Utes looked like they were headed for the win.
Although Harlan didn’t specify the call that upset him the most, it likely happened in the last two minutes.
With 1:56 left, BYU took over at its own 9-yard line, and quarterback Jake Retzlaff fired three straight incomplete passes. The Cougars called a timeout, and on the ensuing fourth-and-10, Retzlaff was sacked for a loss that put the ball on the BYU 1-yard-line with about 90 seconds left.
But a holding penalty called by Utah linebacker Zemaiah Vaughn gave BYU new life and the ball at its own 19.
Retzlaff took advantage, completing passes of 30 yards and 12 yards, and Hinckley Ropati’s 14-yard run took the ball to the Utah 25 with 1:07 on the clock.
A false start penalty on BYU returned the ball to the Utah 30, and the Cougars spent the next three plays punting the ball and running down the clock to give Will Ferrin a 44-yard field goal attempt. he hit it with just three seconds left.
“I’m going to talk to the commissioner. This was not true for our team,” Harlan said. “I’m disgusted by the efficiency of the management team tonight.”
Utah coach Kyle Whittingham was angry with the officials on the field but allowed his manager to talk after the game.
“Couldn’t get the last stop when we needed it, unfortunately,” Whittingham said. “That was the story of several games.”
BYU coach Kalani Sitake said the refs went with the floor.
“Whatever decision the players make, I don’t think they’re trying to make a mistake, so that’s part of the game,” BYU coach Kalani Sitake said. “The players are part of the game. We were able to take advantage of that.”
With the win, which came in front of the largest crowd (54,383) ever at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, No. 9 BYU moved to 9-0, 6-0 in the conference, to stay firmly in the College mix. Football Playoff Stadium.
This game is the first time that the local rivals have played as rivals since 2010 when the teams left the Mountain West Conference.
–Field Level Media
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