Cougs Daily

Former NFL Referee Says Controversial Holding Call was an 'Obvious Foul'

Casey Lundquist

Nov 9, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Brigham Young Cougars quarterback Jake Retzlaff (12) drops back to pass against the Utah Utes during the second quarter at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images
Nov 9, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Brigham Young Cougars quarterback Jake Retzlaff (12) drops back to pass against the Utah Utes during the second quarter at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images / Rob Gray-Imagn Images
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On Saturday night, Utah AD Mark Harlan made national headlines when he ripped Big 12 referees for "stealing" a win from Utah. "This game was absolutely stolen from us," Harlan said. "We were excited about being in the Big 12, but tonight we are not. We won this game. Someone else stole it from us. I'm 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. Thank you."

Harlan was presumably referring to a holding call that extended BYU's eventual game-winning drive and gave BYU life with 1:30 remaining. BYU had 4th & 10 from its own nine yard-line and BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff was sacked. A turnover on downs at that point would have ended the game. Instead, a defensive holding penalty was called and BYU was given a first down.

Now that multiple angles of the controversial call have surfaced on social media, it looks like the referees actually made the correct call. Former NFL referee and current NBC rules analyst Terry McAulay called the play an "obvious foul".

McAulay spent 20 years in the NFL as an official. After his refereeing career, he transitioned into broadcasting with NBC Sports. He serves as the NBC rules analyst for Sunday Night Football, Notre Dame football games, and in other smaller capacities like Big Ten Saturday Night. In a separate social media post, McAulay said, "It’s a foul. It’s always been a foul and it will always be a foul regardless of game, time, score, or situation." McAulay continued, "The embarrassing and shameless on-field actions and press conference rant of the Utah AD should result in severe consequences. His behavior was despicable."

Perhaps more bizarre than his comments after the game were Harlan's actions before the game was even over. After BYU made the game-winning field goal to take a 22-21 lead, Utah had one final play to try to win the game. The Utes made it to midfield with some lateral attempts before being tackled. A flag for unsportsmanlike conduct was thrown on Utah during the play and the game ended. The flag was called on the "Utah bench", so initially it was unclear who caused the flag to be thrown.

Turns out, the penalty was on Mark Harlan. Harlan entered the field of play before the game was over. Images of Harlan on the field during the final play have made their way to social media. Harlan is seen walking on the field towards the referee while Smith Snowden is returning the kickoff.

So what does that mean? Even if Utah had pulled off a miraculous touchdown, it wouldn't have counted. The flag against Harlan would have offset the touchdown and BYU would have won.

Actions like the ones from Mark Harlan are unprecedented. Athletic Directors should never enter the field during the game - Harlan entered the field on the final play and his actions could have cost Utah the game. Athletic Directors typically don't confront referees after games - Harlan confronted the referees after the game. Athletic Directors don't address the media after games - Harlan took the stage to express his frustration with the referees.

To add to the postgame drama, Kyle Whittingham called the situation "ridiculous" after the game. "It's a ridiculous situation, but I'm not going to get into it," Whittingham said. After Whittingham's press conference, he knocked down a chair in frustration.

Harlan's actions and comments will likely come with consequences. It's safe to expect some sort of reprimand from Big 12 headquarters.

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Casey Lundquist
CASEY LUNDQUIST

Casey Lundquist is the publisher and lead editor of Cougs Daily. He has covered BYU athletics for the last four years. During that time, he has published over 2,000 stories that have reached more than three million people.

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