What began as an improbable, last-second 13-12 victory for No. 16 Michigan over Western Michigan has erupted into the first major debate of the college football season.
One day after one of the most debated finishes in recent college football memory, both the Big Ten and the Mid-American Conference weighed in publicly on how officials added one second back to the clock in Michigan’s 13-12 win over the Broncos.
Western Michigan president Russ Kavalhuna said Sunday he didn’t “discern anything unfair or untoward” with the Big Ten’s replay decision that put an extra second on the clock.
Kavalhuna added that he spent Saturday night speaking with Big Ten officials, including commissioner Tony Petitti.
“He was gracious enough to let me talk with some of his staff who are over this issue,” Kavalhuna said. “And it is just a discrepancy. What the viewing public see and what the reviewing officials see are different, and that’s clear.”
Western Michigan head coach Lance Taylor said Sunday that “ultimately, the refs did not cost” the Broncos the game.
“If we make the mistake of making an excuse, it allows us to be bitter instead of getting better,” Taylor added. “That’s where we want to go as a football team.”
The Big Ten has maintained since Saturday night that its officials made the correct call.
In a statement, the conference said Western Michigan defender Micah Davis “started his jump from an established out-of-bounds position” and made contact with the ball with one second still showing. The league also said its broadcast cameras, including the one trained on the stadium clock, are aligned before kickoff using what it described as a strobe system, which it said accounts for the gap between its replay clock and the version shown on NBC’s broadcast.
The conference’s statement also included comments from commissioner Tony Petitti, who said: “I commend Western Michigan for an outstanding effort and a well-played game, and I offer my congratulations to Michigan.”
MAC commissioner Jon Steinbrecher also released a statement claiming he contacted the Big Ten office after the game and was given video and audio of the replay that confirmed the explanation provided to the conference.
“Upon the conclusion of the Western Michigan-Michigan football game, the Mid-American Conference and Western Michigan contacted the Big Ten office to seek clarification regarding the replay review and the placement of time back on the game clock,” the statement read.
“The Big Ten explained that the ball touched a player who was out of bounds before the clock reached 00:00, resulting in one additional play being awarded. The Big Ten subsequently provided video and audio of the replay, which confirmed the explanation provided to us.
“I commend Western Michigan for an outstanding effort and a well-played game, and I offer my congratulations to Michigan.”
NBC also addressed the sequence during its coverage Sunday.
“Our cameras are not the official arbiter of timekeeping within the game,” John Fanta said, noting that responsibility belongs to the Big Ten and its game officials.
The result stands. Michigan is 1-0 heading into Week 2 under new head coach Kyle Whittingham, and Western Michigan, despite the outcome, has said it will not pursue the matter further through any formal channel.
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