Western Michigan president wanted a way to appeal decision, 'but there is none'
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Western Michigan will not appeal the controversial ending to its Week 1 loss to Michigan.
It won't be for a lack of effort, though.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Sept. 6, Western Michigan president Russ Kavalhuna said he explored looking into the Broncos' options but ultimately will not pursue an appeal after officials put one second back on the clock in the closing moments of Saturday's game. The decision gave Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood one final snap, which he turned into a game-winning 47-yard Hail Mary touchdown pass for the Wolverines.
"I did want to find a way to appeal that decision, but there is none," Kavalhuna said alongside Western Michigan coach Lance Taylor at Sunday's press conference.
"I've looked into this pretty closely. I used to be a federal prosecutor. I don't discern anything unfair or untoward in this process," Kavalhuna added.
The controversy stems from the final play — and second — on Saturday's game at The Big House in Ann Arbor when Underwood's previous Hail Mary attempt sailed out of the back of the end zone as the clock at the stadium went triple zeros. However, the game didn't end there.
Following a review, officials put one second back on the clock, giving the Wolverines their opportunity to win — and avoid a loss that would have cost $1.5 million, as that is how much they reportedly paid the Broncos for the game.
"Ultimately the refs did not cost this game and if we make the mistake of making an excuse, it allows us to be bitter instead of getting better, and I think that that's (not) where we want to where we want to go as a football team," Taylor said during Sunday's press conference.
The Big Ten defended the decision in a post-game statement.
"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," the Big Ten said in a statement.
The Big Ten also cited Rule 4-2-3-a from the NCAA Football Rulebook, which states: "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."
In a different statement late Saturday night, MAC commissioner Jon Steinbrecher mentioned that Western Michigan officials and he reached out to the Big Ten after the game, and that the Big Ten explained and confirmed the decision to add a second.
Michigan will host Oklahoma in Week 2 for a top-25 matchup, while Western Michigan will host Monmouth University on Saturday, Sept. 12.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Western Michigan president wanted a way to appeal decision, 'but there is none'
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