Kyle Whittingham dug into his mental thesaurus this week.
Coming off a 22-21 loss to BYU last weekend, which was marred with controversy following a fourth-down holding penalty, the Utah football coach had some time to gather his thoughts.
On Monday, when asked about the adjustment from Pac-12 to Big 12 officiating, he was candid — and more even-keeled than Saturday night when he knocked over a chair on the podium in frustration — in his response.
It even prompted the usage of a new word in the 64-year-old’s vocabulary.
“Yeah, the Pac-12 typically was the most officious,” Whittingham said on Monday, when describing the contrast of officiating between the Big 12 and Pac-12. “I think that’s a word. But it was the most officious conference in the country. The Big 12, I think, is somewhere more in the middle. There is statistical data that says that the Pac-12 was very officious.”
“(That will) make me sound smart or really stupid,” Whittingham added as he reflected on his word choice.
Upon review, Whittingham’s usage of the word might not have been exactly correct. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the definition of officious is “volunteering one’s services where they are neither asked nor needed.”
But whether it’s the right usage of the word or not, Whittingham does have a point.
In 2023, across all 12 of its former teams, the Pac-12 called an average of 6.5 penalties per game on each program. Utah had the lowest number of penalties called on it per game, averaging five per contest.
This season, Big 12 teams have been called for roughly 5.8 penalties per contest. The Utes are slightly above last season’s average, averaging 5.3 penalties called on them per game.
But, according to Whittingham, there’s less of a focus in the Big 12 to call pass interference and holding penalties in the secondary.
“They let you play more in the secondary,” Whittingham said. “Typically most of the time on contact, we’re used to having penalties called for either force or against us.
“In (this) league, it is more allowable. I guess you could say in this league also, on your return units — punt return and kickoff returns — you can be a lot more aggressive with your blocking and your hold-ups. There’s just a lot more physicality to it … and contact.”
So, maybe that’s why Utah was upset with senior cornerback Zemaiah Vaughn’s holding call that prompted a new set of downs for the Cougars and, ultimately, allowed them to kick a game-winning field goal in the final seconds of the game.
Vaughn certainly felt that way.
“They call what they call,” Vaughn said on Tuesday. “I can’t change that, but it is what it is. But of course, I was mad about it, but I can’t really do anything about it.
“I felt like throughout the game, they were allowing it a little bit. But it came down to my play. I did what I did, and they caught it. So, it is what it is.”
After the game, Utah athletic director Mark Harlan voiced his frustrations about the league and the official’s fourth-down call that changed the course of the game.
“This game was absolutely stolen from us,” Harlan said on Saturday night. “We were excited about being in the Big 12, but tonight I am not. We won this game. Someone else stole it from us. Very disappointed. I will talk to the commissioner. This was not fair to our team. I’m disgusted by the professionalism of the officiating crew tonight.”
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah athletic director Mark Harlan yells at an official after the game as Utah hosts BYU, NCAA football in Salt Lake City on Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024.
His comments prompted Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark to issue a public reprimand and levy a $40,000 fine against the Ute AD on Sunday.
On Monday, Whittingham said Harlan’s decision to air out his grievances against the conference was a factor of the “high emotions” at the end of the intense rivalry battle.
“I’ll just say that everyone’s emotions were running high after the game,” he said. “ It was an intense battle. And the way it ended got people excited. as well. So it’s just one of those things that when you’re in the moment, sometimes you say or do things that maybe wouldn’t have otherwise, me included.”
Aside from the fourth down holding call, Utah has bigger problems to tackle.
The Utes are now down to two quarterbacks, after Brandon Rose suffered a season-ending injury in the loss to BYU. He’s now the third quarterback on the roster that the team has lost for the season.
Utah running back Jaylon Glover entered the transfer portal. Former receiver Mycah Pittman has parted ways with the team, citing injury concerns.
The Utes are still on a five-game losing streak and aren’t favored to win any of their final three games. They need two wins to become bowl-eligible.
Clearly, their issues run deeper than what happened on Saturday night. It might’ve just added to the sting of how this season has ultimately gone.
“This is a close team,” Ute sophomore cornerback Smith Snowden said. “I feel like all of us have kind of grown closer together from the trials that we’ve gone through. So definitely, just the whole team — everyone on this team — does a great job of just being there for everyone.”
Now, as they’ve said all season, the Utes must turn the page on this brutal chapter.
“You have to refocus quickly,” Whittingham said. “The rivalry game has a heavier emotional toll than the other games, and it’s not quite as easy to shift gears after that game, but you have to. I mean, as I talked about earlier in the year, (it’s all about) not letting one defeat or incident affect the next game. You can’t do that.
“You gotta try to flush it and get on to the next opponent.”
