SALT LAKE CITY — A lot of the BYU soccer group was nonetheless on the sphere at Rice-Eccles Stadium celebrating a miraculous 22-21 win in opposition to rival Utah late Saturday night time when Utes athletic director Mark Harlan made a shock look on the postgame information convention.
In a fiery deal with, Harlan disparaged the officiating crew and challenged the validity of his college’s loss.
“This recreation was completely stolen from us,” Harlan stated. “We had been enthusiastic about being within the Huge 12, however tonight I’m not. We received this recreation. Another person stole it from us. Very disenchanted.
“I’ll speak to the commissioner. This was not honest to our group. I am disgusted by the professionalism of the officiating crew tonight.”
Harlan, who doesn’t recurrently deal with the media after video games, didn’t take questions following his rebuke, nor did he elaborate additional with any specifics.
It is a secure assumption, nevertheless, that Harlan’s disdain was directed towards a holding name on cornerback Zemaiah Vaughn that negated Utah’s fourth-down sack of BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff on the Cougars’ 1-yard line with 1:29 left, which appeared to have ended the sport.
“No matter choice the refs make, I do not suppose they’re attempting to get it incorrect, in order that’s simply a part of the sport,” BYU coach Kalani Sitake stated. “The refs are a part of the sport. We had been capable of capitalize on that.”
Utah’s would-be sack of Retzlaff was the second time the biggest crowd in Rice-Eccles historical past (54,383) thought the sport was successfully over. Previous to the fourth-down play, BYU snapped the ball and Retzlaff was flushed out of the top zone, however Sitake had known as a timeout earlier than the snap, doubtless saving the sport within the course of.
After the Cougars got new life with the holding name, Retzlaff hit Chase Roberts for 30 yards and Darius Lassiter for 12 yards earlier than Hinckley Ropati ran for 14 yards to get BYU in place for Will Ferrin’s game-winning 44-yard area purpose.
Ferrin, who transferred to BYU from Boise State after the 2022 season, calmly cut up the uprights so as to add one other legendary end to a rivalry recreation that has had a number of of them.
Utah coach Kyle Whittingham was visibly upset with the officers on the sphere following the sport however was measured in his postgame feedback.
“Could not get that final cease after we wanted it, sadly,” he stated. “That is sort of been the story for a number of video games.”
The win retains No. 9 BYU (9-0, 6-0 Huge 12) undefeated and in prime place to qualify for the School Soccer Playoff. With three convention video games left (in opposition to Kansas, Arizona State and Houston), the Cougars lead Colorado by one recreation within the Huge 12 standings. 4 different groups — Iowa State, Kansas State, Arizona State and West Virginia — have two convention losses.
Retzlaff completed 15-of-33 for 219 yards and not using a landing cross or interception. It’s BYU’s second consecutive win within the collection — following a 26-17 win in 2021 — however the Cougars’ first victory in Salt Lake Metropolis since 2006.
This was the primary time the rivals have performed as convention opponents since 2010, after which Utah left the Mountain West for the Pac-12 and BYU went unbiased.