Ghost Second Added to Clock Allows Michigan to Win on a Hail Mary

By Fionn mac Cumhaill

Western Michigan had the lead 9-7 over Michigan with a minute-thirty or so left in the game. They were in Michigan’s red zone. It was third down. The center muffs the snap and a back had to dive on the ball. That is where things started to get dicey. It was 4th down. They couldn’t risk it and go for a touchdown. Instead they decide to attempt a field goal.

Western Michigan kicked the field goal and went up 12-7. Michigan would have to score a touchdown to win. They started their drive on their own 25-yard line after a touchback.

Michigan eventually got to Western Michigan’s 46 or so yard line. They had 8 seconds. That is a fair amount of time in sports. They decide to try one play. Michigan QB Underwood scampers around and hurls the ball toward the end zone as players mass together.

The clock hits zero as ball sails out of bounds. The game is over. Not so fast. A ghost second is added to the clock.

“Wait. What the hell? Where did that second come from?”

“What second? The game is over.”

“Look,” I said, pointing at the screen.

“There is another second. How is there another second?” A fellow journalist asked.

“I don’t know, but there it is!”

The bar at the tavern was quiet. Not that anyone really cared, but it was a shared confusion of the improbable second that appeared back on the clock.

“A refs put one more second on the clock,” another journalist said.

“But there were no more seconds available to be put back on,” I said.

“The refs had one in their pocket. A ghost second that only they saw. That saved sports books a historic payout. Western Michigan had significant underdog odds sitting at about +1917 on the moneyline as the Wolverines were heavily favored by 27.5 points. Had anyone with big stones bet on the Broncos straight up, and there were many of them, especially in Kalamazoo, the bookies would have been eating cardboard for lunch for the next week.

“What are you saying?”

“I don’t know what I’m saying.”

“But you saw the second?”

“I didn’t see the second because there was no second left.”

“This is very troubling.”

“You lost.”

“I would have won big.”

“A lot can happen in a second.”

“Shut up.”