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Western Michigan is taking the high road following its 13–12 loss to Michigan Saturday night, when an official review of what appeared to be the game’s final play put an extra second back on the clock, giving Wolverines quarterback Bryce Underwood just enough time to complete a 47-yard Hail Mary for the win.
The outcome instantly became a point of contentious debate online—so much so that WMU president Russ Kavalhuna and head football coach Lance Taylor elected to hold a press conference on the matter Sunday afternoon, a mere 12 hours after they arrived back in Kalamazoo.
In the hourlong session, the two men displayed a united, and notably diplomatic, front of acceptance, noting the need to move forward. They emphasized their respect for the officiating crew and Big Ten Conference leadership—both of which, they said, “totally cooperated” with their initial inquiries about the call.
“Our team, our season, our program is not going to be defined by one play,” said Taylor. “It’s important that we don’t blame or deflect to other people here. I want [my players] to know that we were fighting for them—that we exhausted all avenues—and we did … We can say that we don’t like what was determined, but that’s a victim’s mentality.”
Kavalhuna, who attended the game at the Big House in Ann Arbor, explained that WMU team officials immediately contacted both Mid-American Conference (MAC) commissioner Dr. Jon Steinbrecher and Big Ten commissioner Tony Pettiti to discuss potential appeals processes, only to learn no such options were available. The Big Ten then shared information and official replay footage with WMU and MAC leaders, which Kavalhuna said “ultimately sufficed.” (He repeatedly noted that officiating is a “human endeavor” requiring decision-making on subjective, time-sensitive issues.)
The Big Ten and MAC each released public statements around 1 a.m. ET. The former explained that all cameras are synced prior to the game and included a video clip from its replay system showing that a WMU player had made contact with the ball with one second left on the clock; the MAC’s public statement, attributed to Dr. Steinbrecher, accepted the explanation.
Taylor plans to meet with his team Sunday evening to debrief the game and prepare for the rest of the season. “They’re going to come in hurting today for sure, but it’s not what happens to you—it’s how you respond to it,” he said. “We had opportunities to win that game before the final play. There were some clock management issues that I can get better at as a coach … Don’t feel sorry for us.”
WMU has enjoyed a steady rise under Taylor, who took over the program in December 2022. Last season, the Broncos went 10–4, won the MAC Championship, and dominated Kennesaw State in the Myrtle Beach Bowl—their first bowl appearance since 2021. They entered this season as favorites to win the conference.
Still, not everyone is ready to move on. Some sports media personalities are using the incident to call for mandatory live-replay reviews in all college football games or the adoption of the NFL’s instant-replay rules, which state that replay can only intervene if the game clock would be reset by two or more seconds. Others, meanwhile, are looking to make a quick buck: Barstool Sports has already launched a “MI Comeback Tee,” retailing for $35.
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