Boise State knows who they are up against. The Western Michigan Broncos opened this season amid controversy. Their split-second 13-12 loss to the Michigan Wolverines has divided the college football community, especially after the NCAA announced its decision in favor of the Wolverines. But Spencer Danielson, head coach of the Boise State Broncos, begs to differ.
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Ahead of the matchup on Sunday, Danielson not only rejected the NCAA’s Football Bowl Subdivision Oversight Committee’s judgment, but he also lauded Western Michigan. He offered high praise for their performance after studying it thoroughly to back his foes, despite playing them this weekend.
“This is a stingy defense now,” he told reporters in a media session. “You see, a team that I saw a little bit of what happened with the Michigan Western-Michigan game early on. When I went back and studied this, unbelievable.”
Although this season of college football is in its third week, the September 5 outcome is still reverberating.
The controversy is simple. Wolverines’ quarterback Bryce Underwood threw a 47-yard Hail Mary to wide receiver JJ Buchanan in the end zone. With this, the Wolverines overcame their 12-7 deficit to win by a point.
The catch, however, is this: when Buchanan caught the TD, the Wolverines had run out of time, per the NBC replay review. However, Big Ten replay officials ruled that the defender had jumped from out of bounds and touched the ball with one second left. One second was controversially put back on the game clock after an incorrect clock feed was used, allowing the final untimed play.
After the Wolverines were announced as the winners, maize and blue fans stormed the field at the Big House. The replay and the Wolverines fans’ conduct over it have since been widely looked down upon. Last week, the NCAA announced that it can’t overturn this decision.
“Had the protocols been followed, the outcome of the game would have been different,” the committee said. The basis of their final decision is as follows:
- Rule 1-1-3-b: “When the referee declares that the game is ended, the score is final.”
- Rule 5-2-9: “No rule decision may be changed after the ball is next legally snapped, legally free-kicked, or the second or fourth periods have ended.”
Despite leaving a bitter taste for Western Michigan fans, it is rare to see a Mid-American Conference team take down an elite like the Wolverines. Many like Danielson are on Western Michigan’s side, but none as boldly supportive as him.
“They’re an undefeated football team, period. End of story,” he declared. “I don’t care all the stuff that they can and can’t. But that is, you watch that game, they absolutely beat Michigan at Michigan. And that’s not hype. That is what happened.”
He then also praised his counterpart for building a team that, in his eyes, won fair and square but was robbed.
“And Coach Taylor and their staff, once again, tip my hat to them. That defense held Michigan to 12 points. Or 13, 6 points, excuse me,” he then added, “Unbelievable.”
Danielson’s stance gives Western Michigan the praise they deserve while also showing just how deeply aware he is of the team’s ambitions. Taking them down in their upcoming outing will make for an interesting game to watch. After all, Boise State is challenging a team and its leader that they respect so much.
They walk into Saturday’s game with a 2-1 record, having defeated Memphis and South Dakota after losing at Oregon in their season-opener. Western Michigan is on the same parallel. They have won two consecutive games, defeating Monmouth and Rice.