Paul Finebaum has seen plenty of wild finishes over the years, but Michigan’s 13-12 escape against Western Michigan clearly left him stunned.
Speaking Sunday on ESPN’s “SportsCenter,” the analyst took aim at the controversy surrounding the Wolverines’ second, last-second Hail Mary, saying the explanation from the Big Ten review crew was almost as remarkable as the ending itself.
“I’m not even sure that does it, because you can’t say ‘unbelievable, I’ve never seen anything like that’ so many times, but that’s really what we’re doing,” Finebaum said during a Sunday appearance on ESPN’s “SportsCenter.”
“And we’ve been doing it since late last night. The explanation from the Big Ten crew deserves an Emmy award, maybe an Oscar, maybe a lifetime achievement award.
That Big Ten review crew did so well without blinking an eye. It seemed outrageous, but it doesn’t matter now.”
The finish came on Bryce Underwood’s 47-yard, second-chance miracle heave, which JJ Buchanan hauled in for the game-winning touchdown as Michigan escaped.
What looked like the final snap of the game turned into the heart of the dispute. Underwood launched a Hail Mary that sailed past the end zone and into the hands of a Broncos defender. On television replays, the clock appeared to hit zero while the ball was still in the air, but officials ruled there was still one second left.
The reaction spread quickly online, with one post calling the Broncos “totally robbed” and saying the game “needs to be investigated.”
Finebaum didn’t stop at the officiating drama. He also pointed out that Michigan had played poorly and now has to turn around for Oklahoma’s visit to the Big House this Saturday.
“What matters is that Michigan is alive, and they need to be, because they played an absolutely abysmal game, but this Saturday at the Big House, guess what?” Finebaum asked. “Oklahoma comes to town and they looked great on Friday night.”
The Big Ten later defended the ruling in a statement released two hours after the game. The conference also posted a recording of the replay review, which showed the game clock at 1 second when Western Michigan’s Micah Davis touched the ball.
“It was determined Western Michigan No. 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,” the conference said, citing rule that stops the clock on such contact.
Mid-American Conference Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher said the conference and school reached out to the Big Ten office for clarification and received an explanation, along with video and audio, that confirmed the ruling. Steinbrecher also thanked the Big Ten for responding quickly.
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