NBC play-by-play voice John Fanta has weighed in on the uproar surrounding the dramatic finish between Michigan and Western Michigan, after viewers pointed out what looked like a mismatch between the official game clock and the clock displayed on the television broadcast.
Western Michigan seemed moments away from delivering one of the most stunning college football upsets in recent memory, appearing to survive a last-gasp Michigan Hail Mary when the pass was knocked away as time ran out.
Instead, the officiating crew put one second back on the clock, handing the Wolverines one final chance. Michigan took full advantage, as Bryce Underwood heaved a 47-yard throw that found JJ Buchanan in the end zone with the clock hitting zero once again.
The stunning touchdown sealed a 13-12 Michigan victory and set off chaotic celebrations inside the Big House in Ann Arbor. But in the aftermath, the spotlight has shifted almost entirely to the officials’ decision on the play before the winner.
On social media, frustrated fans accused the game of being “rigged” in favor of Michigan, one of the wealthiest and most influential brands in college football.
The Big Ten later released audio and video showing how officials reached their ruling. Still, fans quickly focused on another detail: the clock used by the officials did not appear to match the one NBC viewers saw on screen.
NBC broadcaster John Fanta responded to questions over the apparent clock discrepancy during the controversial Michigan-Western Michigan finish
On the NBC broadcast, the clock appeared to show 0:00 when Michigan’s Hail Mary attempt was knocked down
But raw footage released by the Big Ten showed there was one second still on the clock
The disparity led Fanta to address the situation during halftime of their action on Sunday night.
He said: ‘The official time of the game is kept by the Big Ten. Our cameras are not the official arbiter of time keeping within the game. That is the Big Ten and game officials’ responsibility.
‘After the game last night the Big Ten released a statement and raw video from its replay process that showed how and why the decision was made.’
The footage showed officials determining that Broncos No. 18 Micah Davis had jumped from out of bounds, meaning the play was over as soon as he touched the ball.
They then flicked up the game clock and said, ‘When 18 is touching the football we’ve got one second on the clock’. That was seemingly not the case on the game clock seen by viewers on NBC’s broadcast.
A Big Ten statement accompanying the footage said: ‘Following video review, it was determined Western Michigan’s #18 started his jump from an established out-of-bounds position (left foot) and made contact with the ball with one second remaining on the clock.
‘As shown in the provided video of what was viewed during the replay process, a side-by-side view of the play and the game clock, using a direct shot of the game clock in the stadium, was used to determine the final ruling.
‘Eighty-five minutes prior to the game, all broadcast cameras used for the replay system, including the camera on the game clock, are synced using a strobe system to ensure all cameras are aligned,’ it added.
The Big Ten cited NCAA football rule 4-2-3-a that a ‘ball not in player control, other than a kick that scores a field goal, is out of bounds when it touches the ground, a player, a game official or anything else that is out-of-bound, or that is on or outside a boundary line.’
Michigan scored a dramatic walk-off touchdown after the controversial ruling on Saturday
Michigan’s late win sparked bedlam inside the Big House in Ann Arbor after the dramatic finish
Western Michigan was denied one of the biggest college football upsets of all time
One fan immediately asked: ‘Why is this clock completely misaligned with the clock the broadcast had, which they confirmed was in sync with the official game clock?’ as another said: ‘Oh ya you have a special clock only you can see the rest of us can’t, so that’s all that matters…’.
Despite numerous responses still questioning the explanation, passionate Michigan fan Dave Portnoy responded: ‘It’s objectively hilarious that people thought Michigan, the crown jewel of college football, would blatantly cheat to win a football game. Integrity and character will always come before winning at Michigan. That what makes Michigan Michigan.’
And MAC commissioner Jon Steinbrecher said both he and officials from Western Michigan accepted the Big Ten explanation of the decision after reaching out for more information.
‘I commend Western Michigan for the outstanding effort and a well-played game, and I offer my congratulations to Michigan,’ he said in a statement.
‘I also appreciate the collaborative efforts of the Big Ten office and its prompt response in reviewing the play and providing the requested clarification.’
NBC rules analyst Terry McAulay was also confused as to what occurred on the broadcast, offering the new theory that the two game clocks were not aligned related to the Hawkeye system now used to register first downs.
‘Our producer tells us that our in-set clock is in sync, is the actual the stadium clock,’ said McAulay. ‘The ball isn’t even close to touching a player when it goes to zero.
‘Now, their Hawkeye system apparently either had different sync or whatever, and they came up with one second when it touched the player. I don’t see how that happened, assuming our clock is correct. It is clearly not touching a player. The ball is clearly still in the air when the clock goes to zero on our screen.
‘So you know, the Big Ten is gonna have to tell a lot of us, how did they get to one second on this play?’
