NCAA acknowledges Michigan Hail Mary vs WMU should not have happened

The NCAA has recently come to an understanding that the final seconds of Michigan's football game against Western Michigan should have not transpired as they did. In a summary of their review on September 16, the NCAA disclosed that instant replay protocols were not correctly implemented following the apparent game-ending incomplete pass by Bryce Underwood.

Had the proper procedures been executed, the result of the match would have been distinct, reads the NCAA statement. Michigan's victory transformed into a 12-7 triumph for Lance Taylor's Broncos over the once-16th-ranked Wolverines. The Big Ten later amended the clock by one second, with Underwood completing a Hail Mary to JJ Buchanan in the end zone for a 13-12 win on the game's final play.

The NCAA's acknowledgement that Western Michigan should have triumphed in the game - following the Mid-American Conference's attempt to overturn the result - further states that it lacks the authority to alter the result of a game. The NCAA highlighted two rules in relation to the situation: Rule 1-1-3-b: When the referee declares the game concluded, the score stands.

Rule 5-2-9: No rule decision can be modified following the subsequent legally snapped ball, legally free-kicked ball, or the end of the second or fourth periods.