BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff gathered himself from the turf after being clobbered into the wrong end zone on fourth down. The game appeared over. For a few moments, the Utes had done the unthinkable. They spoiled their archrival’s season and ended a ...

When Utah sacked Jake Retzlaff with under two minutes to play in this weekend’s rivalry game, an official threw a defensive holding penalty that gave the Cougars new life. Instead of a turnover on downs, Retzlaff used his second chance to drive 65 yards into Utah territory and set up the game-winning field goal.

The BYU Cougars are still undefeated and atop the Big 12, but it took a late escape against arch rival Utah and one very controversial holding call that had Utes fans, coaches and even administrators irate.

The Big 12 conference fined Utah athletic director Mark Harlan $40,000 and issued a public reprimand for his actions after the team’s 22-21 loss to Brigham Young University on Saturday.

The Big 12 fine is considered stiff, as the three athletic director fines of note in the past decade were all $25,000.