The 102nd installment of the “Holy War” game ended well for the BYU Cougars. But we can’t say the same for the BYU cheer coach.
Head cheer coach Jocelyn Allan, who has been with BYU since 2010, said she was hit in the head and knocked out by a water bottle that was thrown by an unruly Utah Utes fan after the Cougars’ 22-21 win.
“At the conclusion of tonight’s BYU/Utah game, a Utah fan in the table seats in the south endzone threw a water bottle and hit me directly in the head,” Allan wrote on her Instagram story. “I lost consciousness but thankfully was lowered to the ground by one of my cheerleaders.
“Police are going over video footage to identify the seats that it came from (we have a pretty good idea). If you saw the incident, or have any info on the family who owns that particular box, please contact me.”
(Instagram: @jocelyn_allan)
Tensions were high at the end of the game — as the final few minutes of regulation descended into chaos.
Down 21-19 with less than two minutes remaining, BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff was sacked in his own end zone on fourth down. That would have ended the game and sealed the upset for the Utes. Instead, though, the refs hit Utah quarterback Zemaiah Vaughn with a holding penalty that extended the drive for BYU. The Cougars drove down the field and kicked a field goal to win the game.
After the game, Utes fans were livid, and Utah athletic director Mark Harlan took the podium to announce that the officials “stole” the game from them.
Whether refs “stole” the game or not, though, it’s still not an excuse to assault the cheerleading coach — or anyone for that matter. Hopefully, the police are able to track down the culprit.
