Josh Pate did not hold back in his criticism of the Big Ten following a disputed late-game ruling in Michigan’s matchup with Western Michigan, a decision that helped the Wolverines escape after coming dangerously close to being upset by their Mid-American Conference opponent.
At the center of the controversy was the choice to restore one second to the clock in the fourth quarter, giving Michigan another opportunity to launch a Hail Mary. The Wolverines capitalized, turning the extra chance into a game-winning play. Speaking on “Josh Pate’s College Football Show,” Pate said he had heard from “several officials and several referees” who were skeptical of the explanation offered afterward.
“I would love for someone in the league office to look me in the eye and tell me if Western Michigan was at midfield heaving a prayer up and that exact same set of circumstances were to have played out, that this is the way it would have gone down,” Pate said during his show.
“I have been on the phone with several officials and several referees this morning who wanted to make sure that they articulated how much of a [cover your ass] move this is, how big of a pile of garbage that is from the Big Ten league office, and how egregious, like beyond the pale, horrifically bad the machinations of the way that was handled last night were.”
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That final second has quickly become one of the most debated moments of the college football weekend. Fans, analysts and former officials have questioned how it was added, while NBC’s own rules analyst, working the broadcast, also raised doubts about the call as it unfolded.
Western Michigan and the MAC have accepted the ruling following a statement by the Big Ten and the conference releasing video of the process it went through internally to review the play.
Still, NBC addressed the controversy as well on Sunday night during halftime of the Apple Cup between Washington and Washington State, with John Fanta being the one to deliver it.
“Now, the official time of the game is kept by the Big Ten,” Fanta said on air. “Our cameras are not the official arbiter of timekeeping 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.”
While all parties involved seemed keen to move past the controversy, it doesn’t seem like the college football world is ready yet to end the debate over what happened on Saturday night in Ann Arbor.