One of the most controversial moments of Week 11 in college football came during the last game of the night. Just as the clock hit midnight in Salt Lake City, the officiating crew extended BYU's unbeaten season with a defensive holding call on fourth down where quarterback Jake Retzlaff was sacked.
After its drive was extended, BYU wasted no time marching down the field with a few chunk completions. They eventually found themselves in field goal range and won the big rivalry game on a 44-yard field goal by Will Ferrin in the final seconds.
After the game, Utah athletic director Mark Harlan took the podium and went off on the officials.
Predictably, Harlan was hit with a $40,000 fine for his comments. On Sunday, Harlan issued a statement surrounding his comments and the consequences that were levied against him, per Nicole Auerbach of NBC Sports.
“Last night following our game against BYU, I made clear my feelings related to the game officiating,” the statement read. “However, I recognize that there are more appropriate times and avenues to express those concerns, and I accept the consequences of my decision. My comments came after having just left our team locker room where our student-athletes were hurting and upset. The University of Utah is proud to be a member of the Big 12 Conference and we look forward to working with our peers to continue to enhance the league. BYU, Coach Sitake and their coaches and student-athletes are having a terrific season and we wish them the very best.”
Utah has uphill battle to become bowl eligible
Utah's controversial loss on Saturday night dropped it to 4-5, putting bowl eligibility in serious question for a team that had very high exceptions coming into the season.
The Utes need to win two of their final three games to hit the six-win threshold, and the schedule doesn't exactly line up for them. Their quest starts on Saturday against a Colorado team that is on fire right now and is battling for a spot in the Big 12 title game. That one is also on the road, so it will be a tough task to get a win.
After that game, Utah will host Iowa State. The Cyclones are on a two-game skid, but they were playing some very good football before that and are still one of the best teams in the Big 12. Playing in Salt Lake City is never easy, and the home atmosphere will give Utah a chance to pull off the upset.
If they can split those two games to get to 5-6, Utah will get a chance to reach the postseason during the final weekend of the regular season. The Utes will take the long trip to Orlando to take on a struggling UCF squad that is in a similar boat at 4-6 as both teams try to salvage disappointing seasons.
Utah has a lot of work to do to avoid missing a bowl game in a full season for the first time since 2013, but they have the pedigree to do so. Even though it lost, the kind of football that Utah played on Saturday night was also an encouraging sign that this team is starting to find itself late in the season.
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