In a thrilling finish at Michigan Stadium on September 9, the Michigan Wolverines edged out the Western Michigan Broncos 13-12, thanks to a last-second Hail Mary pass from quarterback Bryce Underwood to receiver JJ Buchanan. However, the conclusion of the game has ignited controversy, particularly regarding the officiating and the timing of the final play.
As the game clock appeared to expire after Underwood's initial Hail Mary attempt fell incomplete, officials controversially added one second back on the clock. This decision allowed the Wolverines a final chance to secure their victory, a moment that has since been scrutinized by fans and analysts alike. NBC rules analyst Terry McAulay raised questions about the accuracy of the game clock, stating, "Our in-set clock is in-synch with the actual stadium clock, the ball isn’t even close to touching a player when it goes to zero. Now their system, their Hawk-eye system, apparently either had a different synch or whatever and they came up with 1 second when it touched the players. I don’t see how that happened, assuming our clock is correct."
The controversy surrounding the game raises the question: can the outcome be reversed? According to the NCAA football rulebook, the answer is a definitive no. Rule 1, Section 1, Article 3, paragraph b states, "When the referee declares that the game is ended, the score is final." This means that even if the call was deemed incorrect, the Wolverines' victory stands.
Western Michigan's head coach, Lance Taylor, chose to remain diplomatic in the aftermath, praising the officiating crew for their handling of various close calls throughout the game. He stated, "I thought that this crew tonight did a really nice job handling multiple close calls and review situations. I’ll let the commissioner and those guys handle it." Taylor acknowledged that he felt the game clock had expired before the final play, but he expressed confidence in his team's ability to defend against the last-second attempt.
Following the game, Western Michigan's president, Russ Kavalhuna, indicated that the university would discuss the controversial play with the NCAA. However, he tempered expectations by noting that significant changes to the outcome are unlikely. Kavalhuna remarked, "We’ll try to figure out if the end of the game was anything different from what we saw. We’ll talk to the commissioner and see if there is anything we can ask for a review on. Frankly, I don’t know if we can. This football team deserves a second look, if that’s possible."
While the Broncos may feel they have a case for a victory that was snatched away, NCAA rules ultimately uphold the referees' decisions in these situations. Thus, even if the NCAA were to vacate Michigan's win due to a rules violation, the game would not be awarded to Western Michigan. As it stands, the outcome will remain a Michigan victory in the record books, highlighting the complexities and challenges of officiating in college football.
Leave a Comment