BYU’s cheerleading coach said she lost consciousness when she was hit in the head with a water bottle thrown from the stands at the end of the Cougars’ controversial 22-21 victory over Utah on Saturday night.
Fans threw objects onto the field after BYU kicked a field goal with three seconds left for the win. The Cougars’ winning drive came after a fourth-down sack by quarterback Jake Retzlaff was negated by a defensive holding penalty.
“At the end of the BYU/Utah game tonight, a Utah fan on the table seats in the south end zone threw a water bottle and hit me right in the head,” Allan wrote on her private Instagram account, according to the Deseret News. “I lost consciousness but luckily was lowered to the ground by one of my cheerleaders. Police are looking at video footage to identify the seats it came from (we have a pretty good idea). If you saw the incident, or if you have any information about the family that owns that specific box, please contact me. Thank you!”
BYU said in a statement to the newspaper that it was reviewing the incident but had no further comment at the time. A video obtained by the Deseret News and posted to YouTube shows an object thrown from the stands hitting a woman in the head as she stood next to the BYU cheerleaders on the sidelines.
Utah had a chance for a miraculous kickoff after BYU’s go-ahead field goal, but the multi-way return ended near midfield and the play wouldn’t have counted anyway. The Utah sideline was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct and athletic director Mark Harlan made his displeasure known to the officiating team.
After the game, Harlan said the game was “absolutely stolen from us.”
Those comments earned him a $40,000 fine and a public reprimand from the Big 12 on Sunday. Not long after the fine was imposed, Harlan issued a statement accepting his punishment.
The win kept BYU’s undefeated season alive as the Cougars are 9-0 and atop the Big 12 with three games remaining in the regular season. Utah, meanwhile, is 4-5 after starting the season as the favorite to win the conference.
