Utah AD Blasts Big 12, Refs Over 'Stolen' Game vs. BYU

A controversial penalty in the last two minutes sparked some debate online and in the Utah program.

Utah Utes students cheer for their team against the Brigham Young Cougars. / Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Utah athletic director Mark Harlan was not pleased with the Utes' 22–21 loss to the No. 9 BYU Cougars on Saturday.

Harlan questioned multiple calls while speaking to the media in a post-game press conference, but didn't specify which calls he was referencing. However, one penalty that caused an uproar on social media was a holding penalty on Utah cornerback Zemaiah Vaughn with 1:29 remaining in the contest. BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff was sacked on the same play, which would've effectively ended the game. Instead, the Cougars continued down the field and made a field goal.

"This game was absolutely stolen from us," Harlan said. "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 disappointed. I will talk to the commissioner. This was not fair to our team. I'm disgusted by the professionalism of the officiating crew tonight."

A message from Utah AD Mark Harlan: pic.twitter.com/thI9hNRdbY

— Steve Bartle (@BartleKSLsports) November 10, 2024

Utah moved to 4–5 on the season and have won just one Big 12 game since joining the conference. BYU, on the other hand, are 9–0 with six conference wins.

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