NBC washes hands of any fault for Clockgate after Michigan Hail Mary mulligan

NBC's John Fanta issues statement that puts onus on Big Ten and refs for time-keeping after controversial ending to Michigan-Western Michigan NBC does not want to be involved. One night after Michigan football grabbed a controversial 13-12 win over Western Michigan, broadcaster and studio host John Fanta issued a statement that produced plenty of strong reactions online. Many fans used the network's clock to either argue for or against the Wolverines' successful Hail Mary attempt, which occurred after one second was added back to the clock, but NBC is seemingly trying to avoid the whole situation. 'The official time of the game is kept by the Big Ten,' Fanta said on Sunday, per the Awful Announcing X account. 'Our cameras are not the official arbiter of time-keeping within the game. That is the Big Ten and game officials' responsibility. After the game last night, the Big Ten released a statement and raw video from its replay process that showed how and why the decision was made.' John Fanta gives a statement/explanation on behalf of NBC about the Western Michigan-Michigan controversy, the Big Ten, and the clock discrepancy. pic.twitter.com/jn8O6MQaRl — Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 6, 2026 Article Continues Below Western Michigan appeared to pull off a monumental upset victory in Ann Arbor, but the officials ruled that the ball touched a Broncos player who was out-of-bounds before time expired and subsequently extended the game one final play. Sophomore quarterback Bryce Underwood took advantage of this unforeseen second chance and linked up with JJ Buchanan for an earth-shattering 47-yard touchdown. Upon further examination, the clock appeared to strike zero during the first Hail Mary attempt, causing the word 'rigged' to invade social media. The referees explained that the official clock did not match that of NBC's, which has only increased the confusion surrounding the finish. Many are pushing back on this explanation, while others seek to prove the television clock's inaccuracy by counting down the seconds from the snap to when the play ended. Debates continue to rage on, but NBC obviously wants to be left out of this whole mess. Fanta's statement is only stoking the flames. Regardless of what transpired in The Big House on Saturday, Michigan football has much to prove. The Wolverines are not supposed to survive a Group of Six team at home. If they are outclassed versus Oklahoma next weekend, panic will surround the infancy of the Kyle Whittingham era.