According to the University of Utah police, 18-year-old William Gardner was arrested following the ironically named “Holy War” between the Utah Utes and the BYU Cougars. The police report says that Gardner was arrested “on a charge of assault, a Class A misdemeanor.”
The report goes on to specify the arrest was for “throwing a water bottle onto the field at Rice-Eccles Stadium that struck a member of the BYU cheerleading team during the Utah-BYU football game Nov. 9,”. William Gardner is not a student of the University of Utah.
The water bottle hit BYU cheer coach Jocelyn Allan in the face and she immediately fell to the ground where she lost consciousness. She was assisted by fellow squad members and nearby police.
Utah Utes Embarrassed by Players, Staff, and Fans
As far as rivalries go, the Holy War is one of the most intense. Like any other rivalry, you can expect passionate smack talk, on-field scuffles, and even some nasty behavior by fans. Utah took it to the next level. The Utes started the game off strong, but after halftime they didn’t see the endzone again. On the final drive of the game, a Utes defensive back committed an egregious holding penalty that turned BYU’s failed 4th down attempt into a fresh set of downs. They never looked back, taking the ball into field goal range and taking the lead on a Will Ferrin field goal.
See also: Game of the Year for #7 BYU Cougars or Stolen Game for the Utah Utes?
The holding penalty has drawn the ire of fans, which is to be expected, but Mark Harlan, athletic director for the University of Utah criticized the refs in a post-game presser and claimed the game “was stolen” from them. His comments led to the AD being fined. The comments left head coach Kyle Whittingham in a difficult place, leading to shoving a chair over as he stormed from his own post-game presser. Whittingham was also caught refusing to shake hands with BYU’s head coach, Kalani Sitake.
Even prior to the game, Utes running back Jaylon Glover was forced to walk back his explicit comments about BYU. Then information came out about William Gardner’s shameful actions towards the BYU cheer squad. Factor in the list of season ending injuries to key players, and the 2024 Holy War is certainly one to forget for the Utah Utes players, staff, and fans. In fact, the season as a whole is worth forgetting.
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