SALT LAKE CITY — This is the Year of the Flag for Utah’s football team. Not that flag; the yellow one. You know, the kind that referees carry in their pockets, although in the case of the Utes, they don’t stay there long. The zebras have thrown so many flags this season they’ve got pitcher’s elbow.

Know who has produced the most yardage against the Utes this season?

• Opposing quarterbacks: 838 yards

• Referees: 365 yards

• Opposing running backs: 348 yards

That’s 365 yards on 37 penalties in four games — 9.9 yards per penalty, just short of a first down. The refs are outperforming quarterback Tyler Huntley (8.1 yards per attempt) and running back Zack Moss (4.6 yards per carry).

If referees were wearing Ute uniforms they’d rank fourth on the team in total offense, behind Darren Carrington, Huntley and Moss.

The refs have outgained Utah’s leading rusher by exactly 100 yards.

For the record, the Utes ranked ninth in the nation in penalty yards out of 129 teams, heading into last weekend’s bye.

Head coach Kyle Whittingham is concerned. Well, sort of … maybe … not really.

"I have been very concerned,” he said at his weekly news conference. “It is not the end of the world. It seems like for four straight weeks we haven't had the blatant late hits or swinging at a guy after the play. There haven't been any of those, so the penalties that we have had, we can live with a lot of them, but there are still too many.”

So the takeaway here is that the Utes are just glad they haven’t hauled off and punched someone in the face between plays.

It is a measure of the Utes’ talent and potential that they are unbeaten in four games despite the flying flags. Their defense, as usual, leads the way, ranking No. 2 in the Pac-12 in scoring defense and No. 1 in interceptions, forced turnovers, pass defense efficiency and rushing defense. But at the current rate, the penalties are bound to burn them down the road.

The Utes have been flagged for six personal fouls and one unsportsmanlike conduct, plus 13 holding calls (nine on offense), five pass inference violations and three illegal blocks. That’s slightly more than three holding calls per game. Uh, learning curve? Three holds on a weekend night might be good on a date, but not a football field.

Their opponents have committed about half as many penalties (19) as the Utes, who are averaging 9.2 penalties and 91.25 penalty yards per game.

They are committing a penalty about every 15½ plays.

The Utes had 11 penalties in each of the first two games (North Dakota, BYU), only six against San Jose State and nine against Arizona.

“There are still too many and we know we haven't been doing ourselves any favors with how many times we have been penalized,” Whittingham continues. “But we still want to be aggressive and push the envelope … we just have to clean up what is going on. But what is going on could be worse.”

OK, any questions?

Much was made of the Utes’ new offense this season, but so far it is producing only slightly better numbers than a year ago, with schedules that are remarkably similar — BYU and San Jose State, plus an FCS opponent and a Pac-12 opponent. Through four games last season, the Utes totaled 1,710 yards and 11 TDs; through four games this season, 1,771 yards and 13 touchdowns. But then there are all those penalties — 27 for 237 yards last year, 37 for 365 yards this season.

Of the offensive possessions that were hampered by a penalty, seven of them resulted in no score, four resulted in field goals, and four ended with touchdowns (but only two occurred after major penalties).

The questions now: Do the Utes have the discipline to clean up the penalties and, if not, will it cost them a game before they take them seriously?