Can you even believe what went down on Sunday afternoon? No. 16 Michigan pulled off an absolute stunner, beating Western Michigan 13-12 on a freaking Hail Mary. But it wasn’t just the Hail Mary, it was *how* they got that final shot. Officials straight up added one second back to the clock after an earlier Hail Mary fell short, looking like time had completely expired. Talk about a gut punch for Western Michigan, right?
The Clock Didn’t Lie… Or Did It?
Immediately after the play, NBC’s replays showed what everyone at home saw: the game clock was at 0:00 when Western Michigan’s Micah Davis touched the ball after stepping out of bounds before jumping. Zero. Zilch. Nada. But then the Big Ten’s *official* game clock, the one that supposedly matters, was sitting there at one second. You gotta be kidding me! NBC made it crystal clear on Sunday that their clock is not the official game clock during Big Ten games. A statement from NBC announcer John Fanta, delivered during halftime of Washington vs. Washington State, spelled it out plainly: “The official time of the game is kept by the Big Ten. Our cameras are not the official arbiter of timekeeping within the game. That is the Big Ten and game officials’ responsibility.” The Big Ten even released a statement and raw video from its replay process after the game to show how and why they made the decision.
What Actually Happened With That Clock?
NBC’s rules analyst Terry McAuley was right there pointing out the obvious: a possible clock sync issue was the only explanation for adding that second back. He said it because the clock on NBC’s screen clearly showed 0:00 when the play ended. The theory? NBC’s clock might have started a fraction of a second too early on the play right before the first Hail Mary. Think about it: Michigan completed a 28-yard pass with 11 seconds to go. They hurried to the line and spiked the ball. That spike play took two seconds, and the referee actually requested over the stadium microphone for the clock operator to set the game clock at nine seconds. But at that exact moment, NBC’s ticker showed eight seconds remaining. It got reset to nine, but then ticked back to eight seconds as the ball hit Underwood’s hands on the shotgun snap for the incomplete Hail Mary. That tiny time difference could absolutely make up for the fraction of a second that elapsed between NBC’s clock hitting 0:00 and the ball traveling a few more feet toward Davis.
Western Michigan’s president Russ Kavalhuna and coach Lance Taylor held a news conference on Sunday afternoon, saying they accepted the outcome. Taylor, despite what had to be a bitter moment, emphasized that the officials “did not cost [us] the game.” He dropped a truth bomb, too: “It’s not what happens to you, it’s how you respond that ultimately determines success or failure.” A tough pill to swallow, but what a moment for Michigan, and what a wild, controversial finish that has everyone talking about those crucial fractions of a second.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
Leave a Reply