Can NCAA Overturn Michigan’s Win? Why Controversial WMU Win Will Stand
· Yahoo Sports
Michigan was able to avoid a near-historic upset against Western Michigan on Saturday in a game that drew significant controversy.
And despite the pushback to the ending, the result will stand.
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NCAA Can’t Overturn Michigan Result
Michigan struggled for much of the game, trailing 12-7 after a late field goal from Western Michigan with less than a minute remaining in the fourth quarter. Michigan was able to get past midfield before quarterback Bryce Underwood threw the ball through the back of the end zone on a Hail Mary pass attempt, with the clock hitting zero.
But officials reviewed the play and determined that a Western Michigan defender hit the ball while he was standing out of bounds with 1 second left on the clock, giving Michigan a final attempt.
Underwood made good this time, finding JJ Buchanan for the game-winning touchdown and giving Michigan a 13-12 victory.
The final second drew controversy, with many suggesting that the game should have ended and that officials gave Michigan a favorable home call. It also prompted questions of whether the game could be reviewed or potentially overturned — a question that also came up for another Michigan team one decade ago.
In a 2016 game, Central Michigan was incorrectly granted an untimed down with no time remaining in the fourth quarter of a game against Oklahoma State, which they turned into a Hail Mary and lateral for a touchdown to win 30-27.
Even though officials acknowledged the error, it was too late to change the outcome. Dieter Kurtenbach of Fox Sports noted that once the on-field official declares the game over, the outcome cannot be changed.
“NCAA football rules say that outcomes cannot be changed after the referee has declared the game over — and only the referee can declare the game finished, so an errant extension of the game cannot be excluded from the result,” Kurtenbach wrote.
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