Holtz frustrated over calls in loss at UConn

Posted Oct 17, 2011 by Adam Adkins

Updated Oct 17, 2011 at 12:27 AM

Skip Holtz had expressed his frustration with some of the penalties called against USF during Saturday’s 16-10 loss at Connecticut immediately after the game, and that level of frustration hadn’t subsided for the Bulls head coach after he got a chance to review the game film on Sunday.

The Bulls were flagged nine times for 89 yards against the Huskies. The penalty total was the second most for a Holtz-led USF team, while the penalty yards total was the most during Holtz’s time with the program.

“What’s frustrating is I go back and have a hard time finding five of them on film. That’s what’s frustrating for me,” said Holtz, who made it clear he did not believe the calls cost the Bulls the game. “It’s very difficult to argue with an official crew when the game’s going on as you’re going to the next play, not that it’s going to make any difference. They throw the flag and the word is final and that’s all it is.”

Holtz plans to submit a letter to the league office and send in video clips of the calls in question for review. Terry McAulay, the Big East’s coordinator of football officiating, watched the game from the press box at Rentschler Field.

“I just would hope that we would get a fair assessment when he sits down and watches the play in a neutral situation. I feel like I’m in the middle of the forest, but at the same time I can look at a lot of the penalties and go okay, that’s a hold, okay that’s a good call,” Holtz said. “The first personal foul, I mean, going towards the quarterbacks head. We hit him in the head. That’s a good call. I’m not trying to argue any time a flag drops that everything they do is wrong.”

Holtz added he addressed the amount of penalties with the team during a meeting Sunday evening.

“That many penalties changes the course of the game,” the coach said. “Any time you get a first down it seemed like you were moving it back. You get a punt return, you’re moving it back. You get a kick return, you’re moving it back. It seemed like we were always starting in a hole. From that standpoint, the penalties were frustrating.

“That did not lose the game for us. We had our opportunities. It certainly didn’t help us, the penalties, but the turnovers were the thing that bothered me more than anything else.”