One of the defining moments of suffering for Nebraska football fans over the last 20 years was the Big 12 title game against Texas. To show how defining that moment was, most Husker fans know exactly what happened from that lead-in alone.
With seven seconds to go in the game, Texas quarterback Colt McCoy took the snap, rolled out, and fired an incomplete pass as the clock seemed to run out. However, Longhorns head coach Mack Brown held up his finger, saying there was still one second left. The referees eventually agreed, allowed Brown’s team to kick a field goal, and they beat Nebraska 13-12 despite the single most dominant defensive line performance perhaps ever on display by Husker legend Ndamukong Suh.
On Saturday night, Nebraska might have seen its grip on the most controversial loss in the history of college football leapfrogged by what transpired in the game between Michigan and Western Michigan.
The heavy underdog Broncos held a 12-7 lead over the Wolverines (ironically enough) with seven seconds to go on the clock. Quarterback Bryce Underwood took the snap near midfield and fired a desperation Hail Mary pass through the end zone.
Western Michigan’s controversial loss rivals Nebraska football’s infamous 2009 Texas ending
The game was so over that most of the scorekeeping apps marked it as a complete game. Yours truly may have even texted his friend group that Michigan got upset, only to have another friend text back that the officials put one second back on the clock.
Underwood had another chance at the Hail Mary, and this time, it was caught near the front of the end zone for a touchdown and the Wolverines’ win. However, the end of the game was just the start of the controversy.
Even Nebraska fans still frustrated by the Big 12 championship loss can admit that it looked like that final second took a bit of time to tick off (while still asserting it felt like it took too long for the clock to start) and that the incomplete pass likely hit the ground before the clock hit zero. The same can’t be said for Saturday night, as the clock was very clearly run down. However, officials conferred and gave the Wolverines a steal.
The outrage was not only instantaneous but widespread. Eventually, the Big Ten explained that the clock officials were using was not the same as what the broadcast showed. Unsurprisingly, that explanation sounded fishy to just about everyone in the country.
It sounded so fishy, in fact, that Western Michigan president Russ Kavalhuna said on Sunday that he did want to find a way to appeal the replay officials’ decision, but he was told there was no avenue to do so.
So for now, the matter is closed, and No. 16-ranked Michigan avoids a devastating and embarrassing upset on their home field. However, it seems unlikely anyone in the college football world will just let that go as the official result as the season goes on.
Western Michigan, meanwhile, was about to have one of the biggest wins in the program’s history and had it snatched away in the most controversial way possible. Nebraska fans can certainly empathize.
Add us as a preferred source on Google