The NCAA is now admitting what so many college football fans have realized since the first week of the season: Michigan’s Hail Mary play against Western Michigan never should have happened.
On Wednesday, the NCAA released a statement clarifying that the instant replay protocol was not properly followed after what appeared to be a game-ending incompletion by Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood.
“Had the protocols been followed, the outcome of the game would have been different,” the statement reads.
If the proper protocols had been followed, the game’s outcome would have changed. The clock would have expired on Underwood’s incompletion, and Western Michigan would have won 12-7. However, because the replay officials did not use the broadcast clock – which read all zeroes at the time Underwood’s pass was still in the air – one second was kept on the play clock, which allowed Underwood another shot at the Hail Mary.
This time, he completed the pass, and Michigan won 13-12.
The Mid-American Conference (MAC) sought to overturn the result based on clear video evidence that time had expired and on explanations from veteran officials, such as Fox replay analyst Mike Pereira, that replay protocols had not been followed.
However, as the NCAA noted in its statement, rules prohibit overturning the game’s result.
- Rule 1-1-3-b: When the referee declares that the game is ended, the score is final.
- Rule 5-2-9: No rule decision may be changed after the ball is next legally snapped, legally free-kicked, or the second or fourth periods have ended.
As it pertains to the final moments of the game, the league wrote, “When a replay review requires time to be restored or otherwise adjusted, the replay official’s decision will be based on the embedded game clock contained within the program feed. If the broadcaster is unable to provide an embedded game clock, the replay official will use the game-clock graphic displayed as part of the broadcast feed.”
Interestingly, the league’s statement runs contrary to what NBC said of the protocol immediately following the game.
“Now, the official time of the game is kept by the Big Ten,” NBC’s Joe Fanta said. “Our cameras are not the official arbiter of timekeeping within the game. That is the Big Ten and game officials’ responsibility. After the game last night, the Big Ten released a statement and raw video from its replay process that showed how and why the decision was made.”