Rules analyst Terry McAulay says refs got game-changing call in massive FCS upset wrong

In the biggest college football upset you might have missed this weekend, previously winless Idaho took down FCS No. 1 Montana State in dramatic fashion on Friday night at the Kibbie Dome.

Idaho got the ball back at its own 20-yard line with 49 seconds to play and no timeouts. On what looked like the final play of the game, Vandals quarterback Joshua Wood connected with tight end Noah West-Baranco for a first down at the Montana State 25-yard line. While the first down was set to stop the clock, the clock read zeroes when West-Baranco was called down. After a moment, the officials put one second back on the clock, and Montana State coach Brent Vigen took a timeout to set his defense.

Given the fact that you are reading this story, you can probably guess how things ended. Wood found wide receiver Ryan Jezioro in the end zone for the score, and on the ensuing two-point conversion, called his own number with a run through the line to win the game. It was an absolute stunner.

ICYMI:

Idaho ends Montana State’s 19-game win streak and upsets the Bobcats in epic fashion a with late TD and 2-point conversion 😳 pic.twitter.com/DVFb889soP

— ESPN (@espn) October 3, 2026

But according to rules analyst Terry McAulay, the miraculous comeback never should have happened.

As McAulay explained in a post on social media, the officials should not have been able to put one second back onto the clock according to the rules.

“Not going to comment on the timeout aspect, but it seems the officials reset the clock to :01. They are not supposed to do so,” McAulay wrote. “Replay rules only allow the clock to be reset when the clock starts on the ready for play and there are 3 or more seconds remaining and the offense has no timeouts. The reason is that the rules makers believe it is impossible for them to snap the ball from :02 or :01 before the clock hits :00 if the ready for play is correctly given and the clock starts accordingly. Onfield officials are instructed not to reset here and let it go to replay. Replay would have allowed the game to end at that point.”

Not going to comment on the timeout aspect, but it seems the officials reset the clock to :01. They are not supposed to do so.

Replay rules only allow the clock to be reset when the clock starts on the ready for play and there are 3 or more seconds remaining and the offense has… https://t.co/Li28ssKL4C

— Terry McAulay (@tjmcaulay) October 3, 2026

McAulay saying he’s “not going to comment on the timeout aspect” refers to the fact that given it was supposed to be a running clock on the referee’s signal after the chains were reset, the Vandals should not have been able to snap the ball even with a second on the clock, but Montana State’s timeout eliminated the running clock and gave them the chance for an extra play.

That said, based on how the game was being officiated in the moment, it’s not totally clear that the crew would have called the game before the snap either. It doesn’t exactly make sense that they would ask the clock operator to put a second back on the clock just to let it run to zero before Idaho snapped. That’s why the rules are as McAulay explained—no time is supposed to go back on the clock in this situation, because even if a second was added, it would not be enough to snap the ball under the rules.

Asked about the moment after the game, Vigen didn’t sound too distressed about the decision to call a timeout, thinking it was simply a judgement call.

“They said they looked at it. It’s one of those situations, do you call the timeout? Do you not call the timeout? We wanted to get grouped up, regrouped on defense, and ultimately they made the play. I hope there was a second left on the clock.”

Here’s the answer from #MSUBobcatsFB head coach Brent Vigen about the second put back on the clock and the timeout he called before Idaho’s game-winning touchdown. pic.twitter.com/9o2vFdbc1r

— Victor Flores (@VictorFlores406) October 3, 2026

The finish brought immediate comparisons to the ending of the Michigan vs. Western Michigan game earlier in the year, in which the Wolverines were gifted a phantom extra second based on esoteric clock rules that didn’t totally pass the smell test.

Between that game and now Montana State vs. Idaho, the college football world might want to consider coming out with some clear instructions and training regarding the final second of regulation moving forward.