Big Ten explains why Michigan got another second in miracle win over Western Michigan

Michigan football might not have deserved to beat Western Michigan, based on the way the Wolverines played on Saturday night, but the Broncos weren't cheated.

At least not according to the Big Ten.

The conference released a statement explaining why replay officials put one second back on the clock when it appeared that Bryce Underwood's first Hail Mary hit the ground after the clock struck zero.

Officials got the call right in Michigan's win over Western Michigan

What was overlooked is that a Western Michigan player who had already stepped out of the bounds, made contact with the ball when there was one second left on the clock. That's the same thing as the ball hitting out of bounds.

The Big Ten even released the footage of the replay officials discussing the call, and making the decision to put a second left on the clock. There is no conspiracy. They matched up when the Western Michigan player contacted the ball, and there was one second left on the clock.

Some people won't like the explanation. But it makes sense and is clear when you watch the video. It was actually a really good catch by the Replay booth, because it's hard to notice that the defender's foot was already out of bounds.

Michigan fans can at least feel better that this wasn't some sort of Spartan Bob situation. Michigan State shouldn't have had that added second back in the day. This time around, the officials followed the rules, and made the correct call.

It doesn't change the fact that alarm bells should be ringing about Michigan's performance. The Wolverines were out-gained on the ground, and scored on just the first and last possessions of the game.

The offensive line struggled. Bryce Underwood didn't look any better than last season, and the special teams might have been worse. There are lots of negatives. One positive is that Michigan won the game, even if it seemed like it didn't.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow