NCAA Oversight Committee: Protocol not followed in Michigan Hail Mary
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Michigan football will remain the winner over Western Michigan – the Wolverineswon 13-12 on a 47-yard Hail Mary from Bryce Underwood to JJ Buchanan as time expired – however it’s not what should have happened.
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So says the FBS Oversight Committee, which issued a statement Wednesday, Sept. 16, on the controversial ending to the Wolverines' Week 1 opener Sept. 5. While the overarching point is outcomes cannot be overturned after officials have declared a game has ended, embedded in the committee's response was an acknowledgment that the final play should not have happened.
“The committee consulted with national officiating leadership regarding the instant replay protocols,” the statement reads in part. “Based on that information, the committee agreed that the instant replay protocols were not followed in the contest’s second-to-last play. Had the protocols been followed, the outcome of the game would have been different.”
In essence, if the officiating had gone as the governing body says it should, Western would’ve won 12-7 as a four-touchdown road underdog.
But perhaps what’s most relevant is there’s nothing the NCAA can do about it, with no power to change a result, according to the sport's bylaws.
- 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.
Michigan's first Hail Mary attempt fell incomplete and was ruled on the field to have ended the game, with zero seconds showing on the clock. However, after replay review, a different clock was used instead of the game clock seen on television, and one second was added back on.
Western Michigan's coach and president said in a joint press conference the following day they weren’t going to appeal, given there was no process to do so.
However, two days later, the Mid-American Conference changed course and issued a statement saying the league was going to seek justice via an appeal and request the NCAA and FBS Oversight Committee "recognize Western Michigan as the actual winner of the game for purposes of their respective rankings, evaluations and selection deliberations, and take such other corrective action as may be within their authority."
In the end, nothing will change. Michigan used its sloppy play as motivation heading into Week 2 and rebounded with an impressive 17-10 upset win over then-No. 10 Oklahoma.
Michigan, which had fallen out of the US LBM Coaches Poll following its debacle against WMU, vaulted to No. 19 in the rankings heading into its Week 3 matchup against UTEP (3:30 p.m., Big Ten Network).
Western Michigan, meanwhile, took out its frustrations on Monmouth, an FCS team, pummeling the Hawks 49-14. The Broncos (1-1) play Rice on the road in Houston this weekend.
[ MUST LISTEN: Make "Hail Yes!" your go-to Wolverines podcast, available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) or watch live on YouTube . ]
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Tony Garcia is the Michigan beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: NCAA Oversight Committee: Protocol not followed in Michigan Hail Mary