Kudos.
I have many thoughts about this game. I will refrain from complaining about the officiating. Utah should have won this game regardless. And what a win it would have been.
I will say this, since 1997, Utah is 16-8 against BYU. In that span, all eight BYU wins have been by single digits. Seven of their eight wins have come on the last play (or in the final few seconds) and/or by some miraculous, greatly fortuitous play in the last minute or so. It’s crazy. BYU has exactly one non-miracle win (2021) over Utah in the last 27 years. Utah has had a few on this span (2010, 2012, 2016) but nothing like what BYU has produced. It’s maddening.
It’s not easy for me to do this, but I tip my hat to BYU. They play hard and with confidence. They are opportunistic and resilient. But I don’t watch that team and say, “Wow, they are really, really good.” They have been the recipients of mighty good fortune. It won’t keep up. Looks like they will probably make the playoffs (vomit), but an SEC or Big 10 team will rip them apart. But at least they will get that far. Utah could very well go 4-8. Sigh.
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I’m guessing many of you won’t agree with my take, but that’s fine.
Harlan did exactly what he should have.
He’s the only one who could say it and weather it. You can’t let Kyle say it, the players can’t say it.
Harlan can. And he has to.
The team, especially the defense, need someone to be their lightning rod. Someone to stand behind them and say “I’ve got this”
Many of you know what I do for a living.
My job is more serious, but it has many parallels to sports. One of the best traits in a leader in my world is standing up, loudly, for your guys. Harlan did just that.
His statement today is a 100% PR responses probably crafted by the conference to be honest.
This is a unique season. It requires unique action.
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I suppose it was only a matter of time.
Harlan stood up for a team that’s had a terrible season and got further jobbed by the refs.
He didn’t insult anyone’s mother. He didn’t suggest they mated with goats. Some of the shirt tearing hyperbolic reactions and pearl clutching I’ve seen about his comments (not here but all over) really make me understand why we can’t have a moderate reaction to a moderate event anymore.
He was forceful and went slightly too far which most good coaches and CEOs do sometimes even deliberately to show they have skin in the game. He knew he’d get a hand slap and will write the check for it. In the history of college football this won’t be the 10,000th most outrageous thing done and it’s unlikely to be remembered next year.
But some kids on the team likely appreciated it and I’m fine with that.
We are not a good team this year and have at best a 50% chance to win one of our remaining games. Preseason polls and injuries did us in. It happens. This time it happened on a week where other bad things happened. Everyone is a bit raw.
I’ll still be having brunch and watching us do whatever we do against CU next Saturday. And I’ll probably gripe then too. Oh and if Harlan or Whitt pop off about ■■■■■■ refs then I’ll send money to their go fund me.
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I know Harlan is on the hot seat because Utah’s two revenue sports have now been disasters for a couple years, but having public temper tantrums doesn’t change that. I expect someone who makes 7 figures a year to have more emotional maturity than my 11 year old.
Was it a bad call in that moment? Absolutely. But that stuff happens to teams all the time.
Did it cost Utah the game? Absolutely not. Not scoring in the second half cost Utah the game. Not being able to get a first down to close it out cost Utah the game. Playing ultra-conservative and only gaining 30 yards in the entire 4th quarter cost Utah the game. Not making the pick-6 when it was right in his hands cost Utah the game. Hell, even after the penalty, BYU still had to go 60 yards to get in field goal range. A combination of ALL this things are what cost Utah the game. It wasn’t “stolen” by the refs.
This Saturday, I’ll be taking the whole family to see “The Adams Family” at Hale Theater around 11:00, then a buddy and I will be catching the King Diamond/Overkill concert that night. With any luck, I won’t even glance at a college football scoreboard until sometime Sunday. I’m just done, man.
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I ask this question… why did we slow down in the 2nd half, or not do more even in the 1st? I wish we would take a play from byU and run the score up. I see why we don’t on other teams, but f byU! They ran the score up on us for the longest time. They won and shoved our faces in it. I say run that score up! Score as much as we possibly can against byU. Go full blast all game.
I know there may be contributing factors, but I say that we prep for this game by planning to score as much as possible.
If we can take candy from a baby to score, I say poor baby and walk away enjoying a treat and a score!!!
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Let’s not forget Utah had a sophomore third-string QB making his first-ever start. Plus, the WR unit has been depleted. Not sure Whit had a lot to work with. That Utah scored 21 in the second quarter was quite an accomplishment.
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I agree with you 100%. His statement was made calmly, without red-faced anger, sputtering or fist-shaking. He may well have planned the statement, and the semi-apology, to unfold just as they did. It’s kind of like a basketball coach intentionally drawing a technical foul. (Although those efforts do usually involve red-faced anger, sputtering or fist-shaking.)
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There are some things he said that he could have gone without (we were excited, but we aren’t anymore cries sour grapes/regret), but the parts about the refs was ok. I thought he could have just been frank and said “Yormark, expect a call because this ref situation is out of hand - this needs to be reviewed and training/evaluation is needed. The game was stolen …” Still would’ve gotten a fine but if it’s more straight forward, removes some of the backlash of the emotion of the moment. Glad he took it on rather than Whitt or players - thought that was reasonable leadership. Now, him being on the field berating an official while the play was still going - that’s really what should’ve been fined.
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Only one of these things had to change to probably win this game:
- Recover 1 fumble
- Don’t kick the ball to the returner 1 time
- Score 1 time in the 2nd half
- 1 less holding penalty on either the 3rd and 1 OR 4th and 10 plays → kneel it down
- Calhoun ball in hands → INT
Also, I think we had a TO that could have iced the kicker?
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I hope our coaches and returning players never forget the feeling of losing this game. I hope it’s intense motivation next year. Of course, who knows which players or coaches will even be here next season.
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Not only a TO to ice the kicker but why call any TO’s prior to that—all it did was let BYU get settled & then place the ball where it was best for their kicker.
IMO Whit had melted down after holding call & was not thinking clearly & botched the clock management at the end.
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They called the timeouts so they had a chance, however slight, to get the ball back and have a chance to score. It would have taken a Cal Miracle, but the chance wasn’t zero.
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I’m not sure what to think about Harlan’s rant. I guess I have concluded that the his opinion that the game was stolen is fair. The delivery of that opinion could have been better. But, this is me 3 days later and not 5 or 10 minutes after the game.
I could care less what Zoobs or Utah media think about this. They will be the only ones who remember this next week, month and for years to come.
I am concerned how it might impact boosters with money as that is now the name of the game. As of today, nobody with hundreds of millions has stepped forward to become the daddy war bucks of Utah athletics and if this 1 minute outburst turns any of those who are putting big money on the table or those thinking about it, that is a problem.
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Harlan losing his mind was over the top. An AD for a P4 program that manages hundreds of millions of dollar of revenues and expenses (and thousands of student athletes) should know better than to have the meltdown of an undergraduate fan. He shouldn’t lose his job over it, but President Randall ripping him a new one is not out of the question. A media censure for the rest of the athletics year wouldn’t be off base either.
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I’ve been holding off on commenting on the game for a while, mostly because I’ve been busy since, but here are some thoughts:
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We heard Harlan’s comments on the drive home that night and both went, “Oh, oh. That’s not going to work out.” It hasn’t. I think the argument over the appropriateness of the call is right. The refs have let that go all year. We noticed it weeks ago. That judgement call shouldn’t have had that much effect on the outcome, but on the other hand all Utah had to do was score in any way possible and it’s a non-factor. Such is competitive sports.
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I was subjected to hearing from my eye-doctor’s wife/assistant today what a bunch of horrible treatment BYU fans suffered at the hands of Utah fans. It even included the classic, “They dumped beer on them that they bought there.” Somebody they knew left early because, “… they were afraid…” and listened to the end of the game on the radio in the parking lot. My question in response was, “Why didn’t they call or text the number posted all over the stadium or tell an usher or LEO so the offenders could be escorted out?” I guess it’s easier to be a victim.
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Lost in a lot of the reporting has been how close it looked to becoming a riot on the field at the end of the game. Bernard was being held back from going after a Zoob player. There were at least three Zoob players in front of the east stands taunting the fans. I think we can safely conclude that the intensity of the rivalry is still there.
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I avoided any comments at all online for a couple of days just so I could cool off and not say/post things I would later regret.
Harlan made some emotional statements right after the game which made him and the school look bad.
Also was unfortunate that some (certainly not all of us) frustrated spectators embarrassed our fanbase by throwing debris. I will note that a good number of the visiting players came down to the north end to taunt the fans (very poor sportsmanship on their part) instead of just celebrating in front of their own sections. But still doesn’t excuse throwing items on the field or at others in the stands…
Right now I feel worse about what we look like to others in the state and around the country than I do about another crushing loss.
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[quote=“HoopUte, post:77, topic:9467”]
…tment BYU fans suffered at the hands of Utah fans. It even included the classic, “They dumped beer on them that they bought there.” Somebody they knew left early because, “… they were afraid…” and listened to the end of the game on the radio in the parking lot. My question in response was, “Why didn’t they call or text the number posted all over the stadium or tell an usher or LEO so the offenders could be escorted out?” I guess it’s easier to be a victim.Lost in a lot of the reporting has been how close it looked to becoming a riot on the field at the end of the game. Bernard was being held back from going after a Zoob player.
Great points.
The game didn’t seem overly “chippy” on the field this year, but Kufie’s out from a possible cheap shot.
I’m from Boston and I have always felt the “rivaly” is a particularly toxic relationship: which is really more about passionate cultural divergence than the game.
I would prefer a guy making more money in a couple years, than most will in their lives would speak later, or, loudly in chambers, or maybe not at all.
So, I guess what I’m saying is his comments and tone are unlikely to:
- Make the new program in the league look better
- Improved our emerging National brand
- After fans throwing trash at human beings, now immortalized in web history.
It was an inspired and well executed drive, and they won. That’s what I love about college football. It’s confouding, but their also gifted, dedicated and somewhat incarcerated elite athletes. They tried their best. But we will play again. Bear down.
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I want to address the subject of debris being thrown in the field and in the stands. I want to say that I in no way condone fans throwing debris in the field. It is stupid, immature, and dangerous. It never should have happened.
That said, we css as not cast all the blame of the trash tossing on our fans. I saw many byU fans throwing trash on the field and in the stands. I even made a comment to my sister saying, “They won why are they throwing stuff around.”
I think fans, all dans should be highly criticized for throwing stuff on the field. I do feel though that there is a huge finger pointing to Utah fans when the zoobs were just as guilty.
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