Western Michigan president Russ Kavalhuna Credit: CNN
By Megan Armstrong on

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The Michigan Wolverines had egg on their faces, and then, all of a sudden, they had luck on their side. Michigan lost by the measly score of 12-7 to the Western Michigan Broncos on Saturday night — until they didn’t.

Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood’s Hail Mary attempt soared out of bounds as the clock hit triple zeroes. Upon review, however, game officials decided to add one second, giving Underwood another Hail Mary try. This time, Underwood’s 47-yard passes landed safely in JJ Buchanan’s arms, and Michigan won, 13-12.

Milliseconds later, outrage over the phantom second erupted across the sports landscape. The Big Ten offered a formal statement, including the official video review. NBC clarified that “the official time of the game is kept by the Big Ten,” not the NBC broadcast.

According to ESPN’s Jake Trotter, Western Michigan head coach Lance Taylor and president Russ Kavalhuna stated that, while they hated the outcome, any theories about foul play should be dismissed. The controversy broke contain anyway, leading to Kavalhuna and Taylor appearing on CNN on Sunday.

CNN correspondent Omar Jimenez presented the hot takes and rigged allegations before asking whether they’d like to see reform in officiating.

“This is a human game, where student-athletes are working their tails off trying to beat each other, and then humans are referees making calls,” Kavalhuna said. “So there’s going to be controversy in these sports, in any regard. I looked into this in depth. And I did because I wanted to support our student-athletes, who I believe deserve that.”

“I wanted to make sure that whatever the process was was applied fairly,” Kavalhuna continued. “And I’m a former federal prosecutor — I looked in depth about it. I’m not in love with the process that was applied. As I say, it’s got the league looking with one set of cameras, and the viewers looking with another, which invites some scrutiny.”

Kavalhuna shared his concerns with Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti, he said. Big Ten officials told him about their review process “that involves video that they review.” That bothered Kavalhuna because “the broadcast showed a completely different result.”

Kavalhuna said that, at his request, the Big Ten showed him both videos. He confirmed that the NBC broadcast and Big Ten’s internal video differed dramatically. He also confirmed that the Big Ten’s video showed “a second left on the clock.” There is no avenue for an appeal.

“In the history of college sports — and this will not be the first or the last controversy — there has been no change in the outcome of a game because of a controversial call. So, we need to look forward,” Kavalhuna said elsewhere in the segment. “I think it would be a reasonable question to ask: can the viewers at home and the referees […] look at the same video?”

Then, in a segue that should be studied in PR classes for years, Kavalhuna asserted that attention on this game should lead to more attention for the Western Michigan football team. “This football team was supposed to lose by 28 points,” he said. “This football team won its league last year, and frankly, we were the better team on the field last night.”

Western Michigan will undoubtedly have a chip on their collective shoulder when they host the Monmouth Hawks next Saturday. Meanwhile, Michigan, still ranked No. 16 for now, will host the No. 10 Oklahoma Sooners on Saturday. The Wolverines’ performance in that game will either amplify or silence the noise around their questionable season-opening win.

About Megan Armstrong

Since first getting published as a student by the Kansas City Star in 2013, Megan Armstrong has gone wherever curiosity and stories have taken her, specializing in sports, media, music, and culture coverage. She also has an extensive background in interviewing and profiling public figures. Her work has appeared in Billboard, Boardroom, Bleacher Report, Esquire, GQ, GRAMMY.com, NYLON, Newsweek, Teen Vogue, The Hollywood Reporter, UPROXX, and elsewhere.

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