BYU football gets brutal taste of officiating karma in controversial loss to UCF

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BYU football gets brutal taste of officiating karma in controversial loss to UCF

BYU football gets brutal taste of officiating karma in controversial loss to UCF

John Leuzzi, USA TODAY · USA TODAY Sports

Sun, Oct 25, 2026 ·

4 min read

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Follow college football's biggest Week 8 storylines, upsets and statement wins with live analysis from across the USA TODAY Network .

Another week of college football, another week of controversial officiating.

The latest controversial officiating call came in Orlando in double overtime of No. 3 BYU and Central Florida.

Following a successful field goal to briefly go up 34-31 in the second overtime period, officials called BYU defensive end Kendal Wall for roughing the kicker after he fell into him, a penalty that Fox's broadcast crew disagreed with.

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College Football Week 8's biggest moments, reactions and celebrations

Week 8 of the college football season brought pivotal conference showdowns, statement wins and memorable moments across the country.

Above, Malik Hartford of the UCLA Bruins celebrates with Scooter Jackson after making an interception during the second half against the Michigan State Spartans at the Rose Bowl Stadium on October 24, 2026 in Pasadena, California.

(Jayne Kamin-Oncea, Getty Images)

Kyler Kasper of the BYU Cougars reaches for the ball in the first half of the game between the UCF Knights and BYU Cougars at Acrisure Bounce House on October 24, 2026 in Orlando, Florida.
(Dustin Markland, Getty Images)

Fans celebrate after a football game between the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Tennessee Volunteers at Williams-Brice Stadium on October 24, 2026 in Columbia, South Carolina.
(David Jensen, Getty Images)

TJ Metcalf of the Tennessee Volunteers celebrates with Tevis Metcalf and Amare Campbell after an interception during the first half of a football game against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Williams-Brice Stadium on October 24, 2026 in Columbia, South Carolina.
(David Jensen, Getty Images)

Christian Abney of the Illinois Fighting Illini dives in for a touchdown during the second half against the Oregon Ducks at Memorial Stadium on October 24, 2026 in Champaign, Illinois.
(Michael Hickey, Getty Images)

Ashton Stamps of the Arizona State Sun Devils celebrates after a defensive stop against the Kansas State Wildcats during the second quarter of the game at Sun Devil Stadium on October 24, 2026 in Tempe, Arizona.
(Christian Petersen, Getty Images)

Naiim Parrish of the Minnesota Golden Gophers tackles Braeden Jackson of the Iowa Hawkeyes in the first quarter at Huntington Bank Stadium on October 24, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
(David Berding, Getty Images)

Jelani McDonald of the Texas Longhorns intercepts a pass intended for Caleb Odom of the Ole Miss Rebels on the last play of the game at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on October 24, 2026 in Austin, Texas.
(Tim Warner, Getty Images)

Running back Dilin Jones of the LSU Tigers stiff arms safety Eric Winters of the Auburn Tigers during the first half of an NCAA football game at Jordan Hare Stadium on October 24, 2026 in Auburn, Alabama.
(Stew Milne, Getty Images)

PJ Williams of the SMU Mustangs celebrates a touchdown during the first half against the California Golden Bears at Gerald J. Ford Stadium on October 24, 2026 in Dallas, Texas.
(Ron Jenkins, Getty Images)

Nathan Knapik and Collin Dixon of the Illinois Fighting Illini celebrate a touchdown during the second half against the Oregon Ducks at Memorial Stadium on October 24, 2026 in Champaign, Illinois.
(Michael Hickey, Getty Images)

Linebacker Tyreese Fearbry of the Wisconsin Badgers celebrates after a sack in the first half against the USC Trojans at Camp Randall Stadium on October 24, 2026 in Madison, WI.
(Matthew Holst, Getty Images)

Landen Chambers of the UCF Knights celebrates his touchdown in the first quarter of the game between the UCF Knights and BYU Cougars at Acrisure Bounce House on October 24, 2026 in Orlando, Florida.
(Dustin Markland, Getty Images)

Keyone Jenkins of the UCF Knights reacts after a touchdown in the second half of the game between the UCF Knights and BYU Cougars at Acrisure Bounce House on October 24, 2026 in Orlando, Florida.
(Dustin Markland, Getty Images)

Arch Manning of the Texas Longhorns reacts after a long run in the second quarter against the Ole Miss Rebels at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on October 24, 2026 in Austin, Texas.
(Tim Warner, Getty Images)

Bear Bachmeier of the BYU Cougars scores a touchdown in the first half of the game between the UCF Knights and BYU Cougars at Acrisure Bounce House on October 24, 2026 in Orlando, Florida.
(Dustin Markland, Getty Images)

Isaiah Marshall of the Kansas Jayhawks is tackled by Garrick Ponder of the Baylor Bears in the first half at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium on October 24, 2026 in Lawrence, Kansas.
(Ed Zurga, Getty Images)

Michael Terry III of the Texas Longhorns dives for the end zone in the second half against the Ole Miss Rebels at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on October 24, 2026 in Austin, Texas.
(Tim Warner, Getty Images)

Quarterback Sam Leavitt of the LSU Tigers is tackled by cornerback Rayshawn Pleasant of the Auburn Tigers and edge rusher Da'Shawn Womack #15 of the Auburn Tigers during the second half of an NCAA football game at Jordan Hare Stadium on October 24, 2026 in Auburn, Alabama.
(Stew Milne, Getty Images)

Running back Ahmad Miller celebrates scoring a touchdown alongside tight end David Clement and tight end Noah Meyers of the Syracuse Orange during the first half of their game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Kenan Stadium on October 24, 2026 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
(Matt Kelley, Getty Images)

OPINION: BYU fooled us for one week. UCF just exposed the Cougars' CFP reality

That penalty provided the Knights with a fresh set of downs, which they took full advantage of, as backup quarterback Keyone Jenkins hit Grayson Brousseau for a 4-yard touchdown pass. UCF followed up with a successful 2-point conversion to go up 39-31.

Here's a look at the play:

BYU would not be able to respond in the second overtime period to extend the game, as Bear Bachmeier was unable to connect with Walker Lyons on 4th-and-goal. The turnover on downs for the Cougars not only handed them their first loss of the season, but also provided the Knights with the program's first top-five ranked win.

It's an ironic ending to the game for the Cougars, after how last week's game ended for them last week in Provo against Notre Dame, with no defensive pass interference called on the last play of the game, which had a second left on the clock, though officials did not acknowledge it in the moment.

Saturday's ending led to a field storm on the field, which will come with a likely $50,000 fine from the Big 12.

That all said, given the continuous head-scratching officiating calls — both good and bad — in the last few weeks, there were penalties of reactions from those on social media within the college football world:

College football reacts to officiating call in BYU-UCF football game

Here's a snippet of reactions:

Be sure to check out USA TODAY Sports' new College Football Unfiltered podcast, hosted by USA TODAY Sports columnist Blake Toppmeyer. You can stream on YouTube or download via Apple podcasts and Spotify.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: BYU football gets brutal taste of officiating karma in controversial loss to UCF

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