The NCAA confirmed Wednesday, Sept. 16, that replay officials broke protocol in Michigan's 13-12 Hail Mary win over Western Michigan. The error on Saturday, Sept. 5, changed the outcome, the governing body said, but the result stands.
The NCAA's Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) Oversight Committee said it consulted with national officiating leadership and concluded that proper instant replay protocols were not followed on the game's second-to-last play, the Associated Press reported via Michigan Public. Had those protocols been followed, the committee said, the outcome would have been different.
The committee said it lacks the authority to overturn the final score.
NCAA playing rules make the result permanent once the referee declares a game final. The committee cited Rules 1-1-3-b and 5-2-9, according to Pro Football Network, which prevent changes after a period ends. The committee's official statement said the release would be its only statement on the matter, closing the door on further appeals.
What happened Saturday, Sept. 5
Michigan trailed Western Michigan 12-7 in the final seconds at Michigan Stadium. Quarterback Bryce Underwood launched a Hail Mary that fell incomplete as the stadium clock and NBC broadcast clock both hit zero. But the Big Ten's replay crew used a separate, more precise clock feed and restored one second.
On the next play, Underwood threw a 47-yard touchdown pass to sophomore receiver J.J. Buchanan for the 13-12 win. Without the added second, Western Michigan would have won 12-7, ESPN reported. It would have been the Broncos' first victory over Michigan in program history.
NBC rules official Terry McAuley questioned the call on the broadcast: "The ball isn't even close to touching a player when (the clock) goes to zero. Their Hawk-Eye system was apparently at a different sync, or whatever. … The Big Ten is going to have to tell a lot of us, how did they get to one second?"
The appeal
The Mid-American Conference (MAC) initially accepted the Big Ten's explanation. MAC Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher reversed course on Tuesday, Sept. 8, sending letters to the NCAA and the College Football Playoff asking that Western Michigan be recognized as the winner.
Steinbrecher wrote that the final outcome was directly affected by a replay officiating error resulting from the failure to follow an established protocol governing that specific end-of-game timing situation, ESPN reported.
The NCAA responded the same week by issuing a new timing protocol memo. It now requires replay officials to use the embedded game clock from the program feed, not a separate tracking system, when reviewing end-of-game timing.
Where things stand
Michigan (2-0) kept its No. 19 ranking and hosts UTEP on Sunday, Sept. 20, at 3:30 p.m. Western Michigan (1-1) bounced back with a 49-14 win over Monmouth on Saturday, Sept. 12, drawing 24,605 fans to Waldo Stadium, the largest home-opener crowd since 2017. The Broncos play at Rice on Saturday, Sept. 19.
