How Big 12 officials coordinator Greg Burks answered Utah’s beef over bitter loss to BYU

Blasting officials after last year’s Utah-BYU football game earned Utah athletics director Mark Harlan a $40,000 fine and a public reprimand from the Big 12.

Days later, Big 12 football officials coordinator Greg Burks indicated there was no basis for Harlan’s post-game rant. In a game-review document of the officials obtained by the Avalanche-Journal, Burks said a hotly contested penalty against Utah cornerback Zemaiah Vaughn was called correctly. In all, Burks disagreed with the Utah staff’s views of how five of six plays they submitted for review were officiated.

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The game-winning drive in BYU‘s 22-21 victory on Nov. 9 at Utah was kept alive by a defensive holding call on fourth down with 1:29 left in the game. Trailing 21-19 at the time but given new life, the Cougars drove for a game-winning field goal with four seconds left.

Harlan took the podium in the post-game interview area and told reporters, “This game was absolutely stolen from us.”

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Big 12 officials coordinator Greg Burks backed crew on controversial call in BYU-Utah game

Big 12 coaches can send in plays to the conference office for feedback after each game. For each play in question, a coach or team representative provides question or comment about how officials handled it. Burks marks “agree” or “disagree” with the team’s view, then offers his comment and explanation.

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BYU’s Jojo Phillips was the wide receiver on the disputed play, split out to the left.

“Would like clarity as to the penalty for defensive holding by #5 (Vaughn),” a Utah staff member wrote. “The contact occurs near the line of scrimmage and does not impede the WR ability to progress vertically up the field.”

Burks marked “disagree” and responded, “QB looks to #5 immediately after the snap, as receiver moves to go around the defender, the defender grabs the receiver and prevents him from running his route. Correct call.”

The situation was fourth-and-10 from the BYU 9-yard line. Two defenders sacked quarterback Jake Retzlaff for an 8-yard loss as the crowd at Rice-Eccles Stadium celebrated only to have the sack erased by the penalty.

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Utah coach Kyle Whittingham complained to the side judge after the play and the field judge on the field after the game, and Harlan confronted referee Kevin Mar on the field after the game.

In the interview room, Harlan said, “We won this game. Someone else stole it from us. Very disappointed.

“This was not fair to our team. I’m disgusted by the professionalism of the officiating crew tonight.”

BYU moved to 9-0, but lost its next two games and finished 11-2.

The Avalanche-Journal obtained the game-review document via an open-records request to Texas Tech for correspondence with the Big 12 relating to the Tech-Colorado game the same day. Texas Tech deferred to the Texas Attorney’s General office for an open-records decision on a portion of the material.

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Months later, the AG’s office ruled for full disclosure of all the pertinent documents. The officiating-review sheets of the Tech-Colorado game were attached to those of three other Big 12 games on Nov. 9.

How conference office compared Utah-BYU football officiating to other Big 12 games the same day

Coaches from Texas Tech and Colorado sent in 13 plays for review of officiating. Burks said he disagreed with the coaches on eight and agreed on five, acknowledging incorrect calls or no-calls in the latter. The Cincinnati staff differed with officials on 10 plays in its game against West Virginia. Burks disagreed on eight and agreed there were two missed calls.

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For comparison, the document shows six plays submitted by the Utah staff after the BYU game. Burks agreed with the Utes on only one, acknowledging a wrong player being identified on a holding penalty.

The Utah staff wondered whether defensive holding should have been called on BYU defenders on back-to-back plays early in the third quarter. On a play involving wide receiver Dorian Singer, a Utah staff member asked, “Does the contact of the CB at the top of the route restrict the WR’s ability to make a play on the ball?”

Burks disagreed and explained, “Receiver stops and comes back for the pass. Defender has right arm around receivers waist and knocks the pass down with his left hand. Defender does not turn the receivers hip. Correct no call.”

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The Utes also questioned a “‘hook’ or pull from behind by the defender” on Utes tight end Brant Kuithe on the next play. As Kuithe ran his route across the formation, quarterback Brandon Rose threw incomplete to another receiver.

Burks disagreed and wrote, “This action is a foul that occurs at the same time as the ball is being thrown to a different receiver. Official sees the restriction and then looks to the QB. When the ball goes to a different receiver, the foul is disregarded. Had the QB been looking at this receiver or had the ball been thrown to him, this would be a foul.”

Two plays before the defensive holding call against Vaughn, the Utah staff on the review document suggested Retzlaff could have been called for intentional grounding and, on the same play, offensive lineman Austin Leausa for an illegal block.

Burks disagreed, writing, “QB is outside the box and the pass is beyond the LOS (line of scrimmage). Legal. The block by 55 is with extended arms not the torso. Legal.”

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: How Big 12 answered Utah’s beef over hotly contested call in BYU game