Utah AD Mark Harlan Outraged Over Officiating in BYU-Utah Football Game

Utah athletic director Mark Harlan expressed severe frustration and outrage following the Utes’ 22-21 loss to BYU in the latest installment of the “Holy War” rivalry. Harlan made an impromptu appearance at the podium after the game, criticizing the officiating crew for what he believed was a stolen victory.

“I’ve been an athletic director for 12 years. This game was absolutely stolen from us,” Harlan told reporters. He emphasized his disappointment and intention to discuss the matter with the Big 12 Conference commissioner, stating, “We won this game. Someone else stole it from us. Very disappointed. I will talk to the (Big 12 Conference) commissioner. This was not fair to our team. I’m disgusted by the professionalism of the officiating crew tonight.”[4]

The controversy centered around a critical holding penalty called on Utah in the final minutes of the game. With BYU facing a fourth down at their own 1-yard line, a sack on quarterback Jake Retzlaff appeared to end the drive. However, a holding penalty on Utah gave BYU a new first down, allowing them to continue their drive and ultimately score the winning 44-yard field goal with just four seconds remaining.[4]

Utah coach Kyle Whittingham also voiced his dissatisfaction with the officiating, though he chose not to elaborate. “It’s a ridiculous situation. I’m not going to get into it. … Things out there were ridiculous. I’ll leave it at that,” Whittingham said.[4]

The game saw Utah leading 21-10 at halftime, but BYU rallied in the second half, outscoring the Utes 12-0. Utah ended the night with 10 penalties for 90 yards, further exacerbating the frustration over the officiating decisions.[4]