NBC says its cameras 'are not the official arbiter of timekeeping' after officials added 1 second back for Michigan's miracle Hail Mary

NBC made it clear on Sunday afternoon that its clock is not the official game clock during Big Ten games.

No. 16 Michigan shocked Western Michigan 13-12 on an Hail Mary as time expired after officials added one second back to the clock following an initial Hail Mary attempt that fell incomplete as time seemingly expired.

NBC's replays showed immediately after the play that the game clock was at 0:00 when Western Michigan's Micah Davis touched the ball after stepping out of bounds before jumping. However, the Big Ten's official game clock showed one second left on the clock at the time that Davis touched the ball.

"The official time of the game is kept by the Big Ten. Our cameras are not the official arbiter of timekeeping within the game," said a statement from NBC announcer John Fanta during halftime of Washington vs. Washington State. "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."

The possible clock sync issue was immediately pointed out by NBC's rules analyst Terry McAuley. He said it was the only possible explanation for the conference adding a second back to the clock as the clock on NBC's screen showed 0:00 when the play ended.

It's possible that NBC's clock started a fraction of a second too early on the penultimate play of the game. After a 28-yard completion with 11 seconds to go, Michigan hurried to the line and spiked the ball. That play took two seconds, and the referee requested over the stadium microphone for the clock operator to set the game clock at nine seconds.

At the time of the announcement, NBC's ticker showed eight seconds to go. That clock was reset to nine seconds, but it quickly ticked back to eight seconds as the ball hit Underwood's hands on the shotgun snap for the incomplete Hail Mary. That potential time difference could be more than enough to make up for the fraction of a second that elapsed between the clock that NBC showed hitting 0:00 before the ball traveled a few more feet toward Davis.

Sunday afternoon, Western Michigan president Russ Kavalhuna and coach Lance Taylor held a news conference to say they accepted the outcome of the game and that they were looking to make the best of what has been a bitter moment. Taylor emphasized that the officials "did not cost [us] the game."

"It's not what happens to you, it's how you respond that ultimately determines success or failure," Taylor said.