Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham yells at an official as Utah and USC play at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake Metropolis on Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022. Utah gained 43-42. Scott G Winterton, Deseret Information
Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham yells at an official as Utah and USC play at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake Metropolis on Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022. Utah gained 43-42. Scott G Winterton, Deseret Information
The ultimate minute of Saturday’s Utah-USC recreation definitely didn’t assist the perpetually flagging status of Pac-12 referees.
With 13 seconds left, Utes defensive again JaTravis Broughton intercepted Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams and returned the ball 34 yards. The clock stopped, after which restarted earlier than Broughton went out of bounds with eight seconds left. However officers referred to as go interference, nullifying the interception.
The referees ended up resetting the clock to 13 seconds for USC’s remaining two performs.
Referee Mark Duddy confused the state of affairs by telling the group that the clock wanted to be reset and that one of many groups had referred to as a timeout in the course of the play — which, after all, is mindless.
Utah ended up successful 43-42.
After the sport, Utah coach Kyle Whittingham was perplexed.
“The actual factor I need to unravel is the clock state of affairs on the finish. That very nicely may have price us the sport. We intercept the ball and run it again and I see the clock cease after which it begins up once more and it stops once more in the course of the play,” he stated. “When all was stated and achieved, they put extra time on than at any level throughout that sequence.
“The reason I bought was an inadvertent stoppage of play by the ref, which might have stopped the clock proper there. It was positively a mistake as a result of the interception was in progress.”
Whittingham stated it was a studying expertise for the teaching employees beneath a wierd circumstance.
“We’ll determine it out only for our data so we all know how you can proceed if we ever get in conditions like that once more,” he stated.
USC coach Lincoln Riley wasn’t comfortable in regards to the efficiency of the refs, both.
“The officiating was actually unhealthy tonight,” he stated after the sport, “however we nonetheless ought to have gained the sport.”
The Trojans have been whistled for 12 penalties for 93 yards. They took exception to some private fouls referred to as on them.
Saturday’s recreation was simply the most recent in an extended line of questionable calls by Pac-12 officers this season — and in previous seasons.
Whittingham remains to be scratching his head over the ultimate seconds of Saturday’s recreation.
“We’ve nonetheless bought to determine what’s occurring with that clock,” he stated. “Somebody’s gotta clarify all that to me.”
Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham yells at an official as Utah and USC play at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake Metropolis on Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022. Utah gained 43-42.
Scott G Winterton, Deseret Information