Big Ten releases statement on Michigan’s controversial extra second vs. Western Michigan

The Michigan football program barely survived a stunning upset during their first game of the fall. Michigan won a thriller 13-12 against Western Michigan on a Hail Mary attempt thanks to a gifted extra second. That controversial ending has already drawn a lot of reactions from around college football, including from The Big Ten Conference.

The Big Ten released a statement early on Sunday morning following the controversial end to the game.

“Following video review, it was determined Western Michigan’s #18 started his jump from an established out-of-bounds positions (left foot) and made contact with the ball with one second remaining on the clock,” the statement declares. “As shown in the provided video of what was viewed during the replay process, a side-by-side view of the play and the game clock, using a direct shot of the game clock in the stadium, was used to determine the final ruling.”

Michigan QB Bryce Underwood sailed his first Hail Mary attempt with just seconds left on the clock. From the broadcast, it looked like time expired and the game was over. But the officials ruled that Western Michigan touched the ball while out of bounds with one second left.

That enabled Underwood to play hero, throwing a touchdown pass to JJ Buchanan on the last play of the game. The extra second was absolutely critical to Michigan’s victory, helping them narrowly escape from a Week 1 upset.

The Big Ten provided video evidence along with their statement. That footage showed the game clock that the referees used when reviewing the play.

“Eighty-five minutes prior to the game, all broadcast cameras used for the replay system, including the camera on the game clock, are synced using a strobe system to ensure all cameras are aligned,” the statement added.

After the Big Ten’s statement, the Mid-American Conference (MAC) released their own statement. The MAC accepted the Big Ten’s explanation about adding an extra second to the game clock.

The Wolverines were lucky to escape with a victory on Saturday night. They’ll need to be on their game against a much better opponent next week.

Next up for Michigan is a home game against #10 Oklahoma on September 12th at 12PM ET.

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