Harlan, Utah, outraged by BYU-Utah’s officiating crew

SALT LAKE CITY—The Utah Utes are unhappy with how the rivalry game against BYU ended Saturday night. More specifically, the Utes are outraged by some of the decisions that went against them and resulted in a one-point loss to No. 9 BYU.

“This game was absolutely stolen from us,” Utah athletics director Mark Harlan said after the last-second loss. “We were excited to be in the Big XII, but tonight I’m not. We won that game; someone else stole it from us.”

Harlan continued: “I am very disappointed and will be speaking to the commissioner. That wasn’t fair to our team. I am disgusted by the professionalism of the officiating crew tonight.”

Heartbreaking ending for Utah

After leading the entire second half, Utah believed it had won the game after BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff was sacked on fourth down. As the Utes celebrated, a flag was raised in the secondary in defense of Zemaiah Vaughn.

Here is the 4th down call as seen on ESPN. At the end I zoom in on the repeat.
What do you think?#BYU #Utes @KSLSports pic.twitter.com/TtkRGSVEx1

— Sam Farnsworth (@Samsworth_TV) November 10, 2024

The penalty gave BYU new life with a first down. Two plays later, Retzlaff found Chase Roberts down the sideline for a 30-yard gain and gave the Cougars momentum.

After struggling all game to fend off Utah’s pass rush, BYU made just enough plays on the final drive to set up a 44-yard field goal attempt with less than ten seconds left on the clock. BYU kicker Will Ferrin calmly fired the winner, leaving Utah four seconds on the clock to pull off a miracle.

Utah came up empty on the final play of the game, capitalizing on several throwbacks before the ball hit the turf and was recovered by the Cougars with no time remaining.

BYU-Utah rivalry at a glance

An interesting quirk that perfectly defines a rivalry: the official start of the rivalry is often determined by what color you wear on Saturday night. Utah says the series dates back to 1896 and the all-time score is 62-35-4 in favor of the Utes. Cougar believers claim 1922 was the origin of the rivalry, with the Utes leading 59-32-4.

Introducing the Big 12 of the BYU-Utah football rivalry: coaches who shaped the game

BYU defeated Utah 26-17 in 2021, ending Utah’s nine-game winning streak, which was the longest in series history for either team. The Utes have won five straight at home since the Cougars’ 33-31 victory in 2006. Utah has won 40 of the 60 games in Salt Lake.

Introducing the Big 12 BYU-Utah Football Rivalry: Quick Series Overview

No. 9 BYU’s remaining schedule

• Saturday, November 16th – Kansas Jayhawks @ BYU Cougars | 8:15 p.m. MT
• Saturday, November 23 – BYU Cougars @ Arizona State Sun Devils | Kickoff will be announced later
• Saturday, November 30th – Houston Cougars @ BYU Cougars | Kickoff will be announced later

Follow BYU with KSL Sports

Follow the BYU Cougars with KSL Sports.

Utah’s remaining schedule

• Saturday, November 16th – Utah Utes @ Colorado Buffaloes | 10 a.m. MT
• Saturday, November 23rd – Iowa State Cyclones @ Utah Utes | Kickoff will be announced later
• Friday, November 29th – Utah Utes @ UCF Knights | 6pm MT

Follow Utah with KSL Sports

Follow the Utah Utes with KSL Sports.

Big 12 Rankings enter Week 11

• BYU – 5-0 in the Big 12 (8-0 overall)
• Iowa State – 4-1 (7-1)
• Colorado – 4-1 (6-2)
• Kansas State – 4-2 (7-2)
• Texas Tech – 4-2 (6-3)
• Arizona State – 3-2 (6-2)
• Cincinnati – 3-2 (5-3)
• West Virginia – 3-2 (4-4)
• Baylor – 3-3 (5-4)
• TCU – 3-3 (5-4)
• Houston – 3-3 (4-5)
• UCF – 2-4 (4-5)
• Utah – 1-4 (4-4)
• Kansas – 1-4 (2-6)
• Arizona – 1-5 (3-6)
• Oklahoma State – 0-6 (3-6)

Take us with you wherever you go.

Download the new and improved KSL Sports app from Utah’s sports leader. You can stream live radio and videos and stay up to date with all your favorite teams.

Brian Preece is a KSLsports.com insider covering locals in the MLB and the Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s Bees and Beehive baseball coverage here.

Follow @bpreece24